The WHO is calling for better hand hygiene and other infection control practices

WHO latest global research on the implementation of national infection prevention and control programs emphasizes the urgent need to reduce inequalities in the availability of good hand hygiene and other measures to prevent and control infections between high- and low-income countries. New WHO Network Monitoring Portal it will help countries recognize and address gaps.

It is a serious challenge at any given time, but COVID-19 has dramatically demonstrated how important good hand hygiene practices are to reduce the risk of transmission, when used as part of a comprehensive package of preventive measures.

Good hand hygiene is also vital in preventing healthcare-acquired infections, the spread of antimicrobial resistance, and other new health threats. Infection acquired during health care delivery is a major global health problem, but it is twice as likely to be experienced by patients in low- and middle-income countries than by patients in high-income countries (15% and 7% of patients, respectively); the risk in intensive care units (ICUs), especially among newborns, is between 2 and 20 times higher. One reason for this is that in some low-income countries, only 1 in 10 healthcare professionals use proper hand hygiene while caring for patients at high risk for healthcare-associated infections at the ICU – often because they simply do not have the means to do so.

Key challenges

Lack of financial resources and crumbling infrastructure are key challenges. WHO 2020 WASH Global Progress Report in Healthcare Institutions: Basics First The report reveals that globally, every fourth health institution does not have basic water supply services, and every third lacks hygiene products at the place of care.

Furthermore, according to the above WHO National Survey in 88 countries, the level of progress in hand hygiene and infection prevention and control programs, especially in terms of actual implementation, was significantly lower in low-income than middle- and high-income countries. In 2018, only 45% of low-income countries had a functioning national IPC program compared to 53-71% of middle- and high-income countries, and a dedicated support budget was available in only 5% of low-income countries, as opposed to of 18 and 50% of middle- and high-income countries.

While national guidelines on CPI practices existed in 50% of low-income and 69-77% of middle- and high-income countries, only 20% and 29-57% have plans and strategies for implementation in low-, middle- and high-income countries. states. Overall, only 22% of all countries monitored implementation and implementation performance.

Few countries have the capacity to monitor IPC effectively. WHO is the first ever IPC monitoring portal is a secure online platform for countries to collect data in a standardized and user-friendly way and download their analysis of the situation after data entry, along with advice on areas and approaches for improvement.

Notes for editors

Healthcare-acquired infections affect millions of patients and healthcare professionals around the world each year. Almost 9 million are recorded each year in Europe alone.

Half of these infections can be avoided by applying effective IPC practices and programs, including strategies to improve hand hygiene. Such strategies can also prevent 3 of the 4 AMR-related deaths that occur in healthcare settings (1).

Investing in effective IPC strategies can also bring significant financial returns. Implementing hand hygiene policies can generate economic savings on average 16 times the cost of implementing them.

However, countries and institutions around the world do not have equal opportunities to establish appropriate systems and right practices to avoid contracting these infections.

Hand hygiene day

Hand Hygiene Day, May 5, is more important than ever before, to sustain the promotion of this basic but critical action.

This action, which lasts only a few seconds, saves lives! WHO calls on all key players around this slogan Seconds save lives – clean your hands!

The WHO has also declared 2021 the “Year of the Healthcare Worker”. To protect these vital workers, evidence has shown that proper hand hygiene practices reduce infections during care delivery. Therefore, the engagement of various health professionals, as well as patients and everyone in society on the World Hand Hygiene Day 2021 is crucial for supporting the “Year of Health Workers”.

Compliance of healthcare professionals with hand hygiene practices is one of the key performance indicators for IPC, patient safety and the quality of healthcare services worldwide. The new tracking portal can play an important role in improving this.

(1) OECD (2018), Suppressing the tide of the superbug: Just a few more dollars, OECD Publishing, Paris. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264307599-en