WHO - Clean Care is Safer Care

Health care-associated infection is a major issue in patient safety as it affects millions of people worldwide and complicates the delivery of patient care. Infections contribute to patient deaths and disability, promote resistance to antibiotics and generate additional expenditure to those already incurred by the patients' underlying disease.

The World Alliance for Patient Safety addresses the problem of health care-associated infection through the Global Patient Safety Challenge programme with the theme "Clean Care is Safer Care".

Hand hygiene, a very simple action, remains the primary measure to reduce health careassociated infection and the spread of antimicrobial resistance, enhancing safety of care across all settings, from advanced health care establishments to community health posts across countries.

The new World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care are being developed in collaboration with experts from research and academic institutions worldwideand technical experts from WHO.

documents


Clean Care is Safer Care: a worldwide priority
Pittet D, Donaldson L
The Lancet, Volume 366, Number 9493, 8 October 2005 pages 1246-1247
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