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Key Points
➤ Hand hygiene programs should strive to create a culture of safety in
which all healthcare personnel (HCP) collaborate to protect patients
or residents.
➤ Interprofessional dialogue and safe spaces for learning about hand
hygiene provide motivation and engagement of HCP.
➤ This pocket guide highlights practical recommendations to assist
acute care hospitals in implementing and prioritizing efforts to
prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) through hand
hygiene.
➤ It is based on a synthesis of evidence, theoretical rationale,
current practices, practical considerations, author consensus, and
consideration of potential harm, where applicable.
➤ No guideline or expert guidance document can anticipate all clinical
situations. This pocket guide is not meant to be a substitute for
individual clinical judgment by qualified professionals.
Recommendation Grading
Category Definition
H = High Highly confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimated
size and direction of the effect. Evidence is rated as "high" quality
when a wide range of studies is available with no major limitations,
when there is little variation between studies, and when the summary
estimate has a narrow confidence interval.
M = Moderate
e true effect is likely to be close to the estimated size and direction
of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different.
Evidence is rated as "moderate" quality when only a few studies are
available, when some studies have limitations but not major flaws, when
there is some variation between studies, or when the confidence interval
of the summary estimate is wide.
L = Low e true effect may be substantially different from the estimated size
and direction of the effect. Evidence is rated as "low" quality when
supporting studies have major flaws, when there is important variation
between studies, when the confidence interval of the summary
estimate is very wide, or when no rigorous studies are available.
