Although hand hygiene seems simple, it is a complex cultural change to establish. But it does have the potential to become the cornerstone of a safe, high-quality healthcare system. Preventing harm is worth the effort.
Canada’s Hand Hygiene Challenge has become a nationwide grassroots movement supported by senior leaders, healthcare professionals, frontline caregivers, allied health, and support staff.
Did you know…
- 220,000 people are afflicted with healthcare-associated infections in Canada every year.
- 8,000 to 12,000 of those individuals will die as a result of acquiring a healthcare-associated infection.
- One study found that:
- 80% of hospital staff who dressed wounds infected with MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) carried the organism on their hands for up to three hours.
- 60% of hospital staff in contact with patients with Clostridium difficile infection were contaminated within half an hour without even touching the patient, merely from returning drug charts to the ends of beds!
- 40% of all patient-nurse interactions resulted in the same species of Klebsiella pneumoniae being transmitted to healthcare workers’ hands, even with contact as light as touching the patient’s shoulder.
- Meanwhile, simply washing with soap and water virtually eradicated these organisms.