World Hand Hygiene Day

SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands 

It’s in your hands – prevent sepsis in health care

World Health Organization (WHO) calls on health facilities to prevent health care-associated sepsis through hand hygiene and infection prevention and control action. Sepsis is estimated to affect more than 30 million patients every year worldwide. Health care-associated infections, infections acquired during health care delivery, are common and are a risk factor for developing sepsis but we can prevent this. Effective hand hygiene plays a key role. On world hand hygiene day, the focus for everyone should be on prevention of sepsis in health care.

Resources

CDC Clean Hands Count
As a patient in a healthcare setting, you are at risk of getting an infection while you are being treated for something else. Patients and their loved ones can play a role in asking and reminding healthcare providers to clean their hands. Your hands can spread germs too, so protect yourself by cleaning your hands often.

CDC Conversation Starter to Prevent Infections in Dialysis Patients 
Preventing infections is important for patient safety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants dialysis patients and dialysis centers to start a conversation about preventing infections. Family members can also start the conversation. This guide can be a starting point to improve awareness about patient safety issues.

CDC Hand Hygiene Guideline 
The Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings provides healthcare providers with a review of scientific data regarding hand antisepsis and hand washing in healthcare settings.

Clean Hands Count
The ESRD NCC 2016 National Patient and Family Engagement Learning and Action Network patient subject matter experts adapted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Clean Hands materials for use in the Dialysis setting.

DCI Hand Washing Video 
Dialysis Central Inc., clinical staff at DCI Indiana, PA put together this creative video showcasing the importance of hand washing in the workplace. They submitted it for a video contest in ESRD Network 4...and they won! Congratulations! We love your enthusiasm.

End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Networks
ESRD Networks across the nation are working with dialysis centers and patients in quality improvement activities focused on reducing blood stream infections. Learn more about what your Network project. 

Fight Germs. Wash Your Hands Video 
This hand washing demonstration will show you how hand washing can get rid of germs and chemicals that get on our hands every day.

Hand Hygiene Healthcare Quiz
This short quiz tests your knowledge about hand hygiene and other standard precautions to prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections.

Hand Hygiene: Why, How & When?
This World Health Organization flyer explains why, how, and when it's important to wash your hands. 

How Do You Get an Infection and What Do You Need to Know
This resource describes how you get an infection and what you need to know to protect yourself. 

Know the Facts About Infection
This easy to follow brochure provides facts about infection and how to prevent it.

Wash Your Hands Video 
To help prevent the spread of infection, it is best to wash your hands with soap and clean running water for about 20 seconds. If soap and clean water are not available, you should use an alcohol-based product to clean hands.