How often should healthcare workers perform hand hygiene?

Performing hand hygiene before and after patient contact and after glove removal is essential for preventing the transmission of healthcare-associated infections. This practice is rooted in the principles of infection prevention and control, emphasizing that hands can carry pathogens even when they appear clean. Hand hygiene should be done prior to touching a patient to prevent introducing any organisms to the patient and after contact to eliminate any pathogens that may have been acquired during that interaction.

Additionally, hand hygiene after glove removal is critical. Even though gloves provide a barrier, they can fail, and pathogens can be transferred to the hands during glove removal. Thus, this practice ensures that healthcare workers maintain a low risk of contamination during patient care.

Proper hand hygiene includes both hand washing with soap and water when hands are visibly dirty or contaminated and the use of alcohol-based hand rubs in other scenarios, which provides effective pathogen reduction without requiring water. This comprehensive approach is essential to maintaining the safety of patients and healthcare environments.