HAND HYGIENE AND SKIN ANTISEPSIS

Course overview

Whether at the surgical site or on the hands of the healthcare provider, skin is inherently laden with resident and transient flora. Inadequate hand hygiene allows opportunistic pathogens in varying life stages to transfer between patients and other surfaces during everyday activities. Yet many healthcare workers across various disciplines continue to have poor hand hygiene despite best-practice evidence about microbial transfer between individuals. Proper skin antisepsis and hand hygiene can minimize surgical site infections and healthcare professionals across disciplines should collaborate to enhance adherence.