World Hand Hygiene Day - 5 May

Today is World Hand Hygiene Day - an initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Improving hand hygiene among healthcare professionals is the most effective intervention to reduce the risk of healthcare associated infections in hospitals.  It is also of high importance in dental practices of course.

Consistent with WHO guidelines, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, with funding from the Australian, state and territory governments, has engaged Hand Hygiene Australia (HHA) to implement the National Hand Hygiene Initiative (NHHI).

The WHO has identified 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene as the critical times when hand hygiene should be performed in hospitals (and dental practices as appropriate):
1. Before touching a patient
2. Before a procedure
3. After a procedure or body fluid exposure risk
4. After touching a patient
5. After touching a patient's surroundings.