Hand Hygine

Research

May 1, 2025

Every year, on May 5th, the world comes together to recognize World Hand Hygiene Day, a global campaign led by the World Health Organization (WHO). Celebrating its 17th anniversary this year, the campaign’s goal is simple yet powerful: to raise awareness of the critical role hand hygiene plays in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and saving lives.¹

Their 2025 motto is _“It might be gloves. It’s always hand hygiene.”_¹ It reminds us that disposable medical gloves can get contaminated as easily as bare hands, and hand hygiene remains crucial even while wearing gloves.²

Why Hand Hygiene Matters More Than Ever

Infections linked to healthcare are a major threat worldwide. According to WHO, one in every ten patients is harmed while receiving hospital care, with a significant portion of these harms caused by preventable infections.

Proper hand hygiene is recognized as the single most critical measure for reducing these healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).³ WHO estimates that 70% of healthcare-associated infections can be prevented through adherence to recommended hand hygiene practices.⁴

A Moment That Matters: The “My 5 Moments” Framework

One of WHO’s most recognized contributions is the “My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene” framework. It defines the critical moments:

Before touching a patient⁵
Before clean/aseptic procedures⁵
After body fluid exposure/risk⁵
After touching a patient⁵
After touching patient surroundings⁵

This model promotes consistency and helps embed hand hygiene into clinical workflows.

In 2024, WHO emphasized the role of education, training, and knowledge sharing to improve compliance and make hand hygiene second nature among healthcare providers. New resources, including a gamified learning tool called “My 5 Moments: The Game,” are designed to make learning more engaging and effective.⁶

Education Initiatives Also Target Barriers Such As:

Limited access to hand hygiene infrastructure (e.g., soap, water, alcohol-based hand rub)

Cultural or institutional gaps in hygiene practices

A lack of ongoing training in infection prevention and control (IPC)

Hand Hygiene Is Everyone’s Responsibility

Hand hygiene is not a luxury. It is the cornerstone of safe healthcare, and is relevant to all health workers, patients, and their families at every single health care encounter.

Infection prevention and control (IPC), which includes hand hygiene, is fundamental to safe and effective health care systems. Hand hygiene is also an important component of combatting antimicrobial resistance.²

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