The importance of hand hygiene in health care settings Dimitrios Alefragkis

Abstract

Background: Although hand hygiene is utmost importance, compliance with it is minimal. Purpose: The investigation of the importance of hand hygiene in the hospital. Methods: Review and research studies in PubMed databases and Google Scholar which reported the importance of hand hygiene were reviewed.Results: Health professionals should perform the hand hygiene before contact with the patient, prior to clean or sterile handling, after exposure to body fluids of the patient, after contact with the patient as well as after the contact with the patient's immediate intact environment. Hospital staff must be aware of how to perform the hand washing technique with water and soap, the correct application of alcoholic antiseptics and surgical hand antisepsis. Conclusions: Health professionals should be properly trained, aware of the wide range of hand hygiene because it is a powerful prevention measure with low implementation costs and with effective documentation.