Proper handwashing is a simple procedure that can save lives in and out of healthcare facilities.
Hand Washing Study Saved Lives Over 150 Years Ago
Proper handwashing has been proven the best way to prevent infection for many years. According to the CDC, Center for Disease Control, article “Wash Your Hands,” Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis noticed that death rates in a hospital’s maternity clinic staffed by student physicians were five times higher than death rates at another clinic not attended by the student physicians. The student physicians were working on corpses in an anatomy class immediately before beginning rounds in the maternity clinic. After Dr. Semmelweis insisted that the student physicians wash their hands before treating the maternity patients, the death rate decreased fivefold.
Women May Have More Germs on Hands Than Men
The CDC indicates that four out of five illnesses are spread by touch, but what germs reside on the hands? A November 2008 HealthNews article by Heather Hajek entitled “Germs More Attracted to Women’s Hands,” hands carry an average of 150 different bacterial species. This germ diversity outnumbers bacteria found in the lower intestines and mouth. A University of Colorado study cited in Hajek’s article found that women’s palms hosted 50 percent more bacteria than men.
Poor Hand Hygiene May Result in Hospital-Acquired Infections
Hospital-acquired, or nosocomial, infections have become a major threat to health in America today, leading to unnecessary and often serious infections and sometimes death. An article in Emerging Infectious Diseases entitled “The Impact of Hospital-Acquired Bloodstream Infections,” by Richard P. Wenzel and Michael B. Edmond, places nosocomial bloodstream infections as possibly the number eight leading cause of death in the United States. According to a July 28, 2008 Health Facilities Management article entitled “Infection Control: Zeroing in on infection prevention and control,” approximately 46 out of 1,000 patients were colonized or infected with MRSA in 2006, which represented a significant increase from previous estimates.
The CDC lists several risk factors for less compliance with hand hygiene standards in hospitals, including healthcare workers who are not nurses – specifically physicians and nurse aides, being male, using an automated sink, working weekdays rather than the weekend, and working in an intensive care unit. Healthcare workers cited several barriers to washing hands, including:
- Forgetfulness
- Supplies not easily accessible
- Having other patient needs take priority
- Understaffing and time constraints
- Wearing gloves
Healthcare facilities are experiencing greater demands on proper hand hygiene as Medicare and Medicaid no longer reimburse for certain preventable infections. Many facilities now provide alcohol-based waterless hand cleansers in convenient locations and targeted hand hygiene educational programs, which have been shown to increase handwashing compliance.
Areas of the Hands Most Often Missed in Handwashing
Many people who do wash their hands may not be effectively washing their hands, even if they wash for the CDC’s generally recommended 15 to 30 seconds. According to Arrow Scientific’s “Handwashing – Do’s and Dont’s,” parts of the hands that are most commonly missed in cleaning include the:
- Back of the thumbs
- Area between the thumb and index finger
- Fingertips and fingernails
- Creases in the palms
Other issues that commonly lead to harbored germs on the hands include artificial nails, wearing jewelry on the hands, and chapping.
Washing Hands Properly Can Save Lives
Patients and family members in a healthcare facility can advocate for their own health and safety by asking if caregivers have properly washed their hands. Handwashing is a simple and quick procedure that can prevent unnecessary hospital-acquired infections, save money, and ultimately save lives.
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