Clean hands save lives.
Hospitals are committed to safe, quality care. Hand hygiene is the single most effective intervention to reduce the cross transmission of healthcare-associated infections. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on average, health care providers clean their hands less than half of the times they should.
SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands
May 5, 2021
is the World Health Organization's global call to action for health workers
From July 2017 through March 2020, the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative offered a collaborative approach for Kansas hospitals to continue improving hand hygiene adherence. More than 95 hospitals participated in one or both cohorts of the KHC HIIN Hand Hygiene Collaborative, the most recent conducted May 2019 through March 2020.
Many hand hygiene resources for the health care setting are available.
Hand Hygiene Resources
Articles
- Beyond entry and exit: Hand hygiene at the bedside, AJIC Journal, Oct. 2018
- Thanks for reminding me -- The cultural change in hand hygiene, Hygiene in Practice
- Use of a Patient Empowerment Tool for hand hygiene, AJIC Journal, Feb. 2017
- Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-associated Infections through Hand Hygiene, Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, May 2016
- Sustaining and Spreading Improvement in Hand Hygiene Compliance, The Joint Commission, January 2015
Guidelines and Recommendations
- CDC Guidance for Healthcare Providers about Hand Hygiene and COVID-19, May 17, 2020
- HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-care Settings, MMWR, Oct. 25, 2002
- World Health Organization (WHO): My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene
- SHEA/IDSA Practice Recommendation: Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections through Hand Hygiene
Success Stories
- Spotlight on Success: Hiawatha Community Hospital
- Spotlight on Success: Community Healthcare System, Inc., Onaga, KS, presentation on KHC Webinar, March 25, 2020 (14 min.)
- Spotlight on Success: Ness County Hospital District #1, Ness City, KS, presentation on KHC Webinar, March 25, 2020 (10 min.)
Toolkits
- APIC Implementation Guide for Hand Hygiene
- CDC Quick Observation Tools (QUOTS)
- CDC Hand Hygiene in the Health Care Setting
- Hand Hygiene Resources, The Joint Commission
- IHI How-to Guide: Improving Hand Hygiene
- OSAP Hand Hygiene Toolkit (oral health care)
- WHO Starter Kit (includes observation tool)
- Measuring Hand Hygiene Adherence - Overcoming the Challenges, TJC
Videos
- Instructional hand hygiene videos prepared for the KHC HIIN Hand Hygiene Collaborative by The University of Kansas Health System, January 2020
"Collecting an observation" (paper or electronic) (1:27 min.)
"Planning a small test of change" (1:12 min.)
"Reviewing and sharing your results" (1:20 min.) - "Foam Please" "Thank You" by The University of Tennessee Medical Center, 2018 (1:00 min.)
Brochures
Posters
- Clean Care is in your Hands, May 5, 2020 campaign poster, WHO
- Ask for Safe Care - Ask for Clean Hands, CDC
- Clean Hands Count, CDC
Educational Resources
- My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO)
- Science of Improvement: Testing Changes, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
- Handwashing in Community Settings, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
KHC HIIN Hand Hygiene Collaborative
(Cohort 2, May 2019 - March 2020)
Session 1 -- May 3, 2019
- Webinar recording (60 min.)
- Presentation handout (pdf)
- Homework assignment: Barrier or Excuse? (.docx)
- Homework assignment: PDSA template (.ppt)
Session 2 -- August 16, 2019
- Webinar recording (60 min.)
- Presentation handout (pdf)
Featuring Mitchell County Hospital Health System and Republic County Hospital
Session 3 -- November 1, 2019
- Webinar recording (60 min.)
- Presentation handout (pdf)
- Minneola District Hospital - Welcome packet hand hygiene insert (pdf)
Featuring Minneola District Hospital, Meade District Hospital and Newman Regional Health
Session 4 -- February 7, 2020
- Webinar recording (60 min.)
- Presentation handout (pdf)
Featuring Hiawatha Community Hospital
STRIVE Hand Hygiene Learning Modules
HRET and the CDC offered online learning modules for hospitals participating in the STRIVE (States Targeting Reduction in Infections via Engagement) Project. We have received permission to share these resources with you. (Webinar recordings are no longer available, however, the slides include the speakers' notes.) Recommended audiences are your infection prevention team, medical staff and nursing staff.
Core Concepts for Hand Hygiene: Clean Hands for Health Care Personnel (HH101)
Outline the importance of effective hand hygiene for protection of health care personnel and patients. Participants will also be able to describe proper hand hygiene techniques, including when various techniques should be used.
Hand Hygiene: Education, Monitoring and Feedback (HH102)
Calculate hand hygiene adherence rates based upon hand hygiene events and opportunities, compare and contrast different hand hygiene adherence monitoring methods and list components of a hand hygiene data collection tool.
Identifying Motivators for Hand Hygiene: External and Internal Factors (HH103)
Recognize common challenges to the performance of hand hygiene, discuss the role of external and internal factors that influence behavior change, identify motivators for hand hygiene and describe methods to inform improvement efforts.
Contact Us
For more information, contact
- Michele Clark, KHC Senior Director of Quality Initiatives and Special Projects
(785) 235-0763 ext.1321 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.