WHO Patient Safety

Geneva University Hospital

The WHO also cites other studies on their website to back up the eciency of hand hygiene in the struggle against nosocomial infections. Geneva University hospital is often quoted in WHO documentation to back up hand hygiene eciency. Geneva University hospital is indeed the place where many WHO associated researchers work included Prof. Didier Pittet, Head of the Clean Care is Safer Care global challenge, which is why Geneva University hospital has been a pioneer in the implementation of ecient hand hygiene practice.

These are the main conclusion to be taken from the studies conducted at Geneva

University Hospital :

1. The active promotion of hand hygiene such as easier access to hand hygiene materials and posters to remind the sta of the importance of hand washing, within the hospital has made hand hygiene compliance go from 48% in 1993 to 74% in 2009.

2. Increased hand hygiene compliance have made the rate of nosocomial infections per patient go from 20% in 1994 to 10% in 1998.

Public awareness on hand hygiene as an essential element of patient safety is growing largely thanks to WHO publications. The next phase has been to engage all relevant actors in the ght against nosocomial infections through hand hygiene, which is the objective of the 2nd phase of the Clean Care is Safer Care, known as the Mobilizing Nations phase.