The World Health Organization (WHO) called on everyone to “achieve effective hand hygiene action at the point of care, and universal health coverage (UHC)” on World Hand Hygiene Day (May 5) this year.
The WHO pointed out that infection prevention and control, including hand hygiene, is critical in achieving UHC as it is a “practical and evidence-based approach with demonstrated impact on quality of care and patient safety across all levels of the health system.”
“The point of care refers to the place where three elements come together: the patient, the health care worker, and care or treatment involving contact with the patient or their surroundings,” the WHO explained.
The organization advised that hand hygiene must be performed “when it is needed, and in the most effective way by using the right technique with readily available products.”
“The central core of ‘SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands’ is that all health-care workers should clean their hands at the right time and in the right way,” the organization said.
The campaign also supports health care workers in improving their hand hygiene that helps in the prevention of the spread of bacteria through the hands.
Hand hygiene is one of the most effective and significant actions to reduce the spread of COVID-19 as the world battles with the pandemic.
The SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands global campaign was launched in 2009, and is celebrated annually on May 5. It aims to “maintain global promotion, visibility, and sustainability of hand hygiene in health care, to ‘bring people together’ in support of hand hygiene improvement around the world.” (WHO)/NGS-jlo
