Hand hygiene among doctors in selected departments at Hadassah . Can we improve ?

we improve? Dr. Dror Cantrell Abstract Hand hygiene is known as one of the leading ways to reduce and prevent transmission of infectious organisms between care givers and patients. The association between hand hygiene and nosocomial infections rate is well established. Nevertheless the rate of physician's adherence to the guidelines, as of other medical staff, to the guidelines is consistently low in many studies, averaging between 20%-50%. Nosocomial infections are of rising interest these past few decades, making hand hygiene relevant more than ever. The current guidelines, worldwide and in Hadassah hospitals, require hand decontamination before and after every contact with a patient. The main reasons for non compliance include: hand washing is a time consuming procedure during busy times at work, sinks are often poorly accessible, hand washing products are lacking, skin is irritated by frequent washing and gloves are wrongly used as an alternative to proper hand hygiene.