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. 2024 Feb 29;13(1):26.
doi: 10.1186/s13756-024-01374-9.

Updates and future directions regarding hand hygiene in the healthcare setting: insights from the 3rd ICPIC alcohol-based handrub (ABHR) task force

Ermira Tartari  1   2 , Fernando Bellissimo-Rodrigues  3 , Daniela Pires  4 , Carolina Fankhauser  5 , Nasim Lotfinejad  6 , Hiroki Saito  7 , Miranda Suchomel  8 , Axel Kramer  9 , Benedetta Allegranzi  2 , John Boyce  10 , Hugo Sax  2   11 , Andrew J Stewardson  12 , Didier Pittet  13   14 ; ICPIC Alcohol-Based Handrub Task Force
Collaborators, Affiliations

Updates and future directions regarding hand hygiene in the healthcare setting: insights from the 3rd ICPIC alcohol-based handrub (ABHR) task force

Ermira Tartari et al. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. .

Abstract

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) pose threats to global health. Effective hand hygiene is essential for preventing HAIs and the spread of AMR in healthcare. We aimed to highlight the recent progress and future directions in hand hygiene and alcohol-based handrub (ABHR) use in the healthcare setting. In September 2023, 42 experts in infection prevention and control (IPC) convened at the 3rd International Conference on Prevention and Infection Control (ICPIC) ABHR Taskforce in Geneva, Switzerland. The purpose of this meeting was to provide a synthesis of recent evidence and formulate a research agenda on four critical areas for the implementation of effective hand hygiene practices: (1) ABHR formulations and hand rubbing techniques, (2) low-resource settings and local production of ABHR, (3) hand hygiene monitoring and technological innovations, and (4) hand hygiene standards and guidelines.

Keywords: Alcohol-based handrub; Antimicrobial resistance; Hand hygiene; Healthcare-associated infections; Infection prevention and control; Microbial load; Skin microbiome; Technique; Volume.

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Conflict of interest statement

Didier Pittet, Andrew J. Stewardson and Ermira Tartari are Editors; Benedetta Allegranzi and John M. Boyce are Editorial Board Members of Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control. Other than that, the authors have no competing interests as defined by BMC, or other interests that might be perceived to influence the results and/or discussion reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
World Health Organization’s 6-step technique for hand rubbing with alcohol-based handrub
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Simplified 3-step hand hygiene technique. (From Tschudin-Sutter S, Rotter ML, Frei R, Nogarth D, Häusermann P, Stranden A, Pittet D, Widmer AF. Simplifying the WHO ‘how to hand rub’technique: three steps are as effective as six—results from an experimental randomized crossover trial. Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 2017 Jun 1;23(6):409-e1; with permission)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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