5th May, World Hand Hygiene Day

As we reported in this blog, today, 5 May 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) announces the second global annual day of hand hygiene in health-care facilities and our blog joins this iniciative also for the second consecutive year (see post of 5 May 2009).

This year the World Alliance for Patient Safety´s new proposals include the participation in a global survey on or around 5 May by observing the adherence to this good practice in the Moment 1 (before touching a patient) and performing a structural self-assessment to analyze the promotion and practice of hand hygiene in each health institution.

Webinars will also take place.

The Ministerio de Sanidad y Política Social of Spain has developed an outreach letter to health professionals through the Coordination Group of the Hand Hygiene Program. All information is also on their website.

Our group adapted the recommendations of the WHO for Primary Health Care (see here) and we have discussed this subject in the blog (all posts can be found inserting “manos” in the web searcher engine on the right column).

This year we offer a new resource for professionals: a video that shows in a nice way that even a child can wash his hands properly. In the film two children wash their hands with the technique proposed by the WHO, quickly and effectively. This technique is similar for alcohol-based handrubs, even faster because you don´t need to rinse or dry your hands.

The video can be used both for activities directed at professionals and for health education and activities for children or general population. This video can be used without permission, but we would appreciate if the reference is cited. If used for health professionals, we suggest combining it with this video fragment from the WHO recorded in a health center, showing the proper technique for that setting. The one we presents here can be shown entirely, so you can see that the rubbing technique proposed by the WHO is very easy to learn and to practice: it´s child's play.

SAVE LIVES: Clean your hands


Posted by Marisa Torijano, Jesús Palacio and Lola Martín
English version by Erika Céspedes