Irish hand hygiene compliance at highest ever level – HSE

Dr Robert Cunney, HSE Clinical Lead in Healthcare Associated Infections, commented: “The HSE had set a target of achieving rates of compliance of more than 90 per cent, which has now been surpassed but work is ongoing with healthcare facilities to improve further by implementing action plans including education, training and re-audit programmes. Irish healthcare facilities throughout the country are continuing to sign up to the WHO Multimodal Hand Hygiene campaign and many are planning local hand hygiene activities.”

Dr Cunney added: “Hand hygiene is the single most effective measure that healthcare workers, patients and the public can undertake to prevent healthcare associated infection which affect hundreds of millions of patients around the world every year.

“The HSE aims to build on improved rates of hand hygiene compliance amongst healthcare workers and spread this improvement in healthcare facilities outside of acute hospitals. The latest hand hygiene compliance rates show an overall compliance rate of 90.8 per cent in late 2016, a significant improvement on the 74.7 per cent achieved in 2011 when hand hygiene audits were introduced. The progress to date is very welcome and improving it further is a priority for the HSE.”