Handwashing helped slash rates of infection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and C. difficile in hospitals, British researchers have found.
After the “Cleanyourhands” campaign rolled out at hospitals in England and Wales between 2004 and 2008, infection rates for the antibiotic-resistant strains fell. The bacterial infections claim thousands of lives a year in Europe, Canada and the U.S., according to the World Health Organization.
As part of the campaign, alcohol hand rub was provided at bedsides, posters were distributed to remind healthcare workers to clean their hands and they received regular checks on compliance.
“The study suggests that national infection control interventions, including a hand hygiene campaign, undertaken in the context of a high profile political drive, can successfully reduce selected healthcare associated infections,” lead author Dr. Sheldon Stone of the University College London Medical School and his co-authors concluded in this week’s issue of the British Medical Journal. Read more…
