Patient Safety and Quality of Care is a key topic for nurses and the nursing profession and a priority of EFN policy agenda. And hand hygiene is, in this process of quality & safety, a key component. Every year hundreds of millions of patients around the world are affected by healthcare associated infections (HCAI) and more than half of these could be prevented, with the right measures and information.
The transmission of HCAI most often occur via the contaminated hands of healthcare workers, which means that as well as being personally at risk, they risk transmitting the infection to others. But this is a reality also from a patient’s and a visitor’s point of view. Therefore, and as highlighted by the EU project on Patient Safety and Quality of Care (PaSQ), we can say that the primary measure for the reduction of these HCAI and of the spread of antimicrobial resistance is hand hygiene – for Healthcare professionals, patients and visitors. But although it is well-accepted that hand hygiene is a critical patient safety practice for reducing HCAI, compliance with this practice is often low (AHRQ 2013, Allegranzi et al 2009). It is thus crucial that all the parties involved in the process of care, including patients and their relatives, are better prepared and provided with clear information about HCAI, the risks and preventative measures they can take to moderate their chance of spreading/picking up HCAI when they provide/receive healthcare, and that the healthcare system itself is ensuring availability of education, training, and protocols.
Being at frontline, nurses are well placed to promote and improve good hand hygiene practices, through the continuum of care, and to influence a change at all levels, from hospital to community care. But the reality shows that many member states suffer nursing shortages, which leads to more working hours for those in place and less time to focus on this kind of information/education activities. It is therefore key to provide strategic support for a qualitative and equitable health service in Europe by ensuring better education provision and steadily increasing qualification levels, particularly among nurses, essential to achieve effective and efficient outcomes. Safety and quality depends on this motivated and committed workforce!