Hand hygiene is one of the most important and effective ways to keep patients safe from the spread of infections in hospitals. One patient in the hospital or clinic may be touched by dozens of health care workers – doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and so on – in a single day. To protect children from infection, we require that patient care professionals thoroughly clean their hands before and after treating each child.
Hand hygiene means using either alcohol-based hand disinfectant or soap and water as well as the proper cleansing techniques for the appropriate length of time.
To ensure proper hand hygiene at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, a specific program was created by a team of doctors from many specialties as well as nurses, managers, environmental services staff, therapists, clinic staff and others.
