Hannover Medical School commemorates World Hand Hygiene Day.
Copyright: Digitale Medien/MHH
Every year on May 5 is World Hand Hygiene Day. The date, May 5, stands for the five fingers of our hands. With this day, the World Health Organization (WHO) wants to draw attention to the importance of hand hygiene in preventing infections. It is one of the best measures not only to avoid infections, but also to prevent the unwanted transmission of multi-resistant pathogens. In terms of patient protection, hand hygiene is of particular importance in healthcare facilities. At Hannover Medical School (MHH), the motto for World Hand Hygiene Day is “Save Lifes: Clean Your Hands”.
Information events for employees
The MHH hospital hygiene specialists are organizing special information events for employees on World Hand Hygiene Day. However, the experts don't just focus on hand hygiene on World Hand Hygiene Day. “Throughout the year, we repeatedly carry out inspections on wards, in outpatient clinics and functional areas, regularly record the hand hygiene behavior of employees and offer mandatory training for staff with patient contact,” explains Maria Sprock, specialist for hygiene and infection prevention from the Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene. “Well-disinfected hands serve to protect patients and your own safety.”
Avoiding hospital infections
In hospitals, the aim is to avoid nosocomial infections. These are infections that are acquired during treatment or a stay in a clinic or other medical facility. The most common pathogens that cause nosocomial infections are pathogens that naturally colonize people's skin or the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat or intestines - such as Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli. Thorough hand disinfection can demonstrably reduce the risk of infection for patients.
Protection in everyday private life too
It is not only in healthcare facilities that thorough hand hygiene pays off. Hand hygiene is also important in everyday private life. Unlike in medical care, hand washing is a priority in private life to prevent illnesses such as diarrhea, vomiting or colds. According to the Federal Institute of Public Health, hand washing is recommended for the following situations:
- after coming in from outside
- after going to the toilet
- before meals/before preparing meals
- after blowing your nose/after sneezing and coughing into your hand
- before and after contact with sick people
- after contact with animals or waste and dirt.
Gold certificate from the “Clean Hands Campaign”
The MHH has also participated in the “Aktion Saubere Hände” (ASH - Clean Hands Campaign) since 2008. Patient safety is also a top priority in the national campaign to improve hand disinfection among medical staff. The ASH awarded the Medical School the gold certificate for 2025/2026. The award requires 23 criteria to be met. These include, for example, communication measures such as feedback reports, a steering group, further training, monitoring and evaluating hand disinfection, recording hand disinfectant consumption and the correct provision of hand disinfectant dispensers.
Text: Tina Götting