Hand hygiene crucial in IPC programmes to reduce HCAIs

Hand hygiene with Teal portable hand wash units as part of an infection prevention strategy

Focus on the call for universal health coverage (UHC)

Effective implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes are essential in order to diminish sepsis and healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) across the globe. Its huge importance was emphasised in a recent article on the Open Access Government website.

The report centres on the World Health Organization‘s (WHO) recent call to stakeholders around the world, including governments and healthcare facilities to help reduce incidents and outbreaks of sepsis and HCAIs with the implementation of focussed infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies.

“This is because there is strong evidence that specific measures, such as effective hand hygiene can reduce the transmission of pathogens, spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the occurrence of HAIs which all pose a major health problem worldwide.”

The scale of HCAIs

The article’s main source of information is Coordinator, Infection Prevention and Control Global Unit, WHO, Professor Benedetta Allegranzi, MD, DTM&H, who is quoted as saying that

“…according to WHO estimates hundreds of millions of patients are affected annually by HCAIs.”

Professor Allegranzi also states that in Europe alone, nearly nine million patients acquire an HCAI whilst in hospitals and longer term facilities.

Sepsis alone affects over thirty million individuals globally she states, with these outbreaks “potentially leading to 6 million deaths”.

Implementing infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes worldwide »


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