Why Is Hand Hygiene Important?
Slide Text • Hands are the most common mode of pathogen transmission • Reduce spread of antimicrobial resistance • Prevent health care-associated infections Speaker Notes Next we turn to the subject of Hand Hygiene. So, is hand hygiene the single most important factor in preventing the spread of pathogens in health care settings? • First, hands are the most common mode of pathogen transmission. • Hand washing can reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance in health care settings and the likelihood of health care-associated infections. [Additional comments: CDC estimates that each year nearly 2 million patients in the United States acquire infections in hospitals, and about 90,000 of these patients die as a result.