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Hand hygiene

Article information

J Korean Med Assoc. 2018;61(1):13-20
Publication date (electronic) : 2018 January 17
doi : https://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2018.61.1.13
June Young Chun, MDorcid_icon, Hong Bin Kim, MDorcid_icon
Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Corresponding author: Hong Bin Kim. hbkimmd@snu.ac.kr
Received 2017 November 09; Accepted 2017 November 23.

Abstract

Healthcare-associated infections are a major concern in relation to patient safety. Of the numerous interventions for infection control, hand hygiene is the main factor that reduces the transmission of nosocomial pathogens. In this review, we cover the history of hand hygiene, evidence supporting its efficacy, and its importance. Then, we briefly introduce the 2017 hand hygiene guidelines of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Keywords: Hand hygiene; Healthcare-associated infections; Infection control

References

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This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Figure 1

Figure 1

Five moments for hand hygiene. Reproduced from Sax H, et al. J Hosp Infect 2007;67:9–21, with permission from Elsevier [36].

Figure 2

Figure 2

How to handwash. Reproduced from World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2009 [1].

Figure 3

Figure 3

How to handrub. Reproduced from World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2009 [1].

Table 1

Antimicrobial activity of antiseptics used in hand hygiene

Table 1

Reproduced from World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2009 [1].