Hand hygiene key to prevent spread of several communicable diseases

With an aim to create awareness about the importance of keeping one’s hands clean, World Hand Hygiene Day was observed last week. According to the WHO, hand washing is the most significant step towards preventing the spread of life-threatening diseases.

The simple practice of cleaning one’s hands can have a dramatic effect on the reduction of diseases which may spread via unclean surfaces.

Placing considerable significance on hand hygiene, Dr Deepak Subramanian, Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgeon, Fortis Malar Hospital, said, “There are two perspectives to keeping one’s hands clean — the patient’s and the doctor’s.

As a surgeon, hand hygiene is extremely important.”

Stating that hand hygiene is a crucial factor, he added, “It is a known fact that we as healthcare providers have been great contributors to infections among patients we treat because of poor hygiene. It is therefore seen in many hospitals today that doctors monitor the efforts for hand hygiene among nurses and vice versa, just to ensure that hand hygiene is maintained.”

While washing hands with soap and water or a hand sanitiser is the simplest and most cost-effective way of promoting community well-being and preventing respiratory illnesses, common cold and other infections, it has been seen that many ignore the seriousness of hand hygiene.

“Not only is it important to consider among surgeons but also in the case of other healthcare providers who may have a cold and cough or sneeze into their hands… sanitising their hands ahead of checking a patient is extremely important,” said Dr K C Ponraj, a general physician.

Considering the patient’s perspective, it is important to ensure that those around them do not fall sick. “A patient must wash his/her hands before they eat meals, besides maintaining clean hands through the course of their stay in the hospital,” stated Dr Subramanian, adding that the most common diseases that spread due to poor hand hygiene are Escherichia coli infections, diarrhoea and the like.

While patients tend to develop hospital-acquired diseases, especially those admitted in the Intensive Care Units of hospitals, doctors should conduct a proper audit and try to the source as much as possible.

Besides, the Department of Public Health, each year, conducts awareness programmes on the importance of hand hygiene to prevent swine flu. Students are taught in schools the importance of washing their hands — all to prevent the spread of diseases.