Ignaz Semmelweis first linked hand washing before examining women in labor with favorable outcomes in 1847.1 Although initially ignored, hand washing has become a mainstay in reducing the spread of infections in all patient encounters. Multiple studies have confirmed that health care workers are the major cause of spreading nosocomial infections from patient to patient in the hospital setting.2...

OBJECTIVE To study the knowledge and practice of hand washing among mothers and children of shikharchandi slum of Bhubaneswar, Odisha and to recommend possible measures to improve the current practices. METHODOLOGY Present cross-sectional study was carried out in the Shikharchandi slum located in the Bhubaneswar city of Orissa state in India. 150 women and 80 children were interviewed. Childr...

We evaluated the utility of electronic loggers to measure the effects of a simple intervention designed to influence the rates of hand washing with soap within enclosed toilets and bathrooms in low-income urban households in Kerala, India. 58 households were given three items with embedded electronic loggers for a period of 2-5 days. Two logged soaps tracked hand and body washing in the bathroo...

BACKGROUND Healthcare-associated infection rates are high in low-income countries and are associated with significant morbidity. There is a paucity of published data on infection control practice, attitudes or resources in these settings, particularly in ophthalmology. The aim of this study is to understand current hand washing practices, barriers to hand washing and facilities available in two...

BACKGROUND Hand washing is considered as one of the most effective hygiene promotion activities for public health in developing countries. This study compared hand washing knowledge and practices in BRAC's water; sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme areas over time. METHODS This study is a cross-sectional comparative study between baseline (2006), midline (2009) and end-line (2011) surveys...

Hand washing is considered the single most important intervention for prevention of nosocomial infections in patients and health care workers. Unfortunately, compliance with standard protocols for hand hygiene in the health care environment, and especially within intensive care areas such as operating rooms and post-anesthesia care units, has been generally poor. In this article, we consider th...

Hand hygiene is a central factor in preventing the spread of disease in the dermatologist's office. The role of hand washing and alcohol-based hand rubs is considered with emphasis on compliance, effectiveness, side effects, and cost. Specific recommendations highlight the importance of using alcohol-based hand rubs as an adjunct to traditional hand-washing methods.