You have successfully logged out.

Hello !
Logout
close

Hand hygiene

Why is hand hygiene so important?

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a threat to patient safety. They can affect patients in all healthcare settings and hereby contributing to morbidity and mortality and cost of care. Multiple factors contribute to the risk of HAI including ageing population, complexity of therapies and emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.[1-3] HAI can be caused by endogenous or exogenous infectious agents, with the hands known to be the most common transmission route.[4,5]

Hand hygiene is known to be able to prevent and control HAIs. Any healthcare worker, caregiver or person involved in direct or indirect patient care needs to be concerned about hand hygiene and should be able to perform it correctly at the right time.

  • 0MM

    HAIs are estimated to occur in acute care hospitals in Europe annually.[6]

  • 0K

    deaths is the annual mortality due to HAI in Europe.[6]

  • Up to

    0B

    is the annual economic burden on HAIs in acute care hospitals in Europe.[6]

  • 0K

    deaths is the annual mortality in Europe where HAI had contributed to death.[6]

  • More than

    0%

    of HAIs can be avoided by disrupting infection transfer through touching hands with environmental cleaning programs.[7]

Hand hygiene dispensers

Modern dispensers - everything you’d expect 

Installed and handled easily, smart and talkative, hygienic and economical. There's one way to be smarter than this dispenser.
By using it. 

Get known our smart dispensers

Hand care

What can make hands dry and which measures can help to keep your hands in good conditions

 

Hands are high precious instruments that are placed under immense pressure every single day. The Skin has the ability to renew itself, however can breakdown and become damaged by environmental aggressors. Skin Care is now regarded as an important component of hand hygiene and also infection control as impaired skin integrity can deterioate skin resistance and compliance to hand hygiene.[8] Both can lead to increase HAI to patients, but also pose a infection risk to you.

 

Effective prevention and care can help your hands to retain their natural moisture and thereby keep your hands in good condition. Five possible influencers on skin integrity have been suggested that can make your hands dry and irritated.

Let's make hand hygiene smart - Get in touch with our experts to discuss smart hand hygiene solutions together. 

check_circle

Your request could not be submitted. Please try again.

warning

[1] Stewart S, Robertson C, Kennedy S, Kavanagh K, Haahr L, Manoukian S, Mason H, Dancer S, Cook B, Reilly J. Personalized infection prevention and control: identifying patients at risk of healthcare-associated infection. J Hosp Infect. 2021 Aug;114:32-42. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2021.03.032. PMID: 34301394.

[2] World Health Organization. Report on the burden of endemic health care-associated infection worldwide. Geneva: WHO; 2011. Available at: http://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/80135 [last accessed December 2022]

[3] Graves N, Weinhold D, Tong E, Birrell F, Doidge S, Ramritu P, Halton K, Lairson D, Whitby M. Effect of healthcare-acquired infection on length of hospital stay and cost. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2007 Mar;28(3):280-92. doi: 10.1086/512642. Epub 2007 Feb 20. PMID: 17326018.

[4] Graveto JMGDN, Rebola RIF, Fernandes EA, Costa PJDS. Hand hygiene: nurses' adherence after training. Rev Bras Enferm. 2018 May;71(3):1189-1193. Portuguese, English. doi: 10.1590/0034-7167-2017-0239. PMID: 29924172.

[5] Allegranzi B, Bagheri Nejad S, Combescure C, Graafmans W, Attar H, Donaldson L, Pittet D. Burden of endemic health-care-associated infection in developing countries: systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2011 Jan 15;377(9761):228-41. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61458-4. Epub 2010 Dec 9. PMID: 21146207

[6] WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care: First Global Patient Safety Challenge Clean Care Is Safer Care. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2009. PMID: 23805438.

[7] Everett BR, Sitton JT, Wilson M. Efficacy and Cost-Benefit Analysis of a Global Environmental Cleaning Algorithm on Hospital-Acquired Infection Rates. J Patient Saf. 2017 Dec;13(4):207-210. doi: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000141. PMID: 25162207.

[8] Visscher MO, Randall Wickett R. Hand hygiene compliance and irritant dermatitis: a juxtaposition of healthcare issues. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2012 Oct;34(5):402-15. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2494.2012.00733.x. Epub 2012 Jul 5. PMID: 22691060.

[9] Green M, Kashetsky N, Feschuk A, Maibach HI. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL): Environment and pollution-A systematic review. Skin Health Dis. 2022 Feb 25;2(2):e104. doi: 10.1002/ski2.104. PMID: 35677917; PMCID: PMC9168018.

[10] Peer R, Burli A, Maibach H. Unbearable transepidermal water loss (TEWL) experimental variability: why? Arch Dermatol Res. 2021.

[11] Lichterfeld-Kottner A, El Genedy M, Lahmann N, Blume-Peytavi U, Büscher A, Kottner J. Maintaining skin integrity in the aged: A systematic review. Int J Nurs Stud. 2020 Mar;103:103509. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.103509. Epub 2019 Dec 23. PMID: 31945604.

[12] Akomeah FK, Martin GP, Muddle AG, Brown MB. Effect of abrasion induced by a rotating brush on the skin permeation of solutes with varying physicochemical properties. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2008 Mar;68(3):724-34. doi: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2007.06.005. Epub 2007 Jun 14. PMID: 17618097.

[13] West DP, Zhu YF. Evaluation of aloe vera gel gloves in the treatment of dry skin associated with occupational exposure. Am J Infect Control. 2003 Feb;31(1):40-2. doi: 10.1067/mic.2003.12. PMID: 12548256.

chevron_right
Back to Top arrow_upward