For World Hand Hygiene Day 2021, WHO calls on health care workers and facilities to achieve effective hand hygiene action at the point of care.

The point of care refers to the place where three elements come together: the patient, the health care worker, and care or treatment involving contact with the patient or their surroundings.

To be effective and prevent transmission of infectious microorganisms during health care delivery, hand hygiene should be performed when it is needed (at 5 specific moments) and in the most effective way (by using the right technique with readily available products) at the point of care. This can be achieved by using the WHO multimodal hand hygiene improvement strategy.

Everyone should get involved in hand hygiene and WHO have calls for action for a wide variety of groups including healthcare workers, the public and patients and their families.

Calls for action

• Healthcare worker: Now more than ever - clean your hands at the point of care
• General public: Make clean hands your habit - it protects us all
• Patients and families: Help us to help you: please clean your hands.

WHO have produced posters and other resources are available to promote hand hygiene day.

If you are using social media a range of banners are available and you should use #HandHygiene #CleanYourHands #InfectionPrevention.

NIPCM hand hygiene resources

• Chapter 1 of the NIPCM contains a section on hand hygiene and includes appendices and posters that can be printed off for local use on how and when to practice hand hygiene.
• Appendix 1 - How to hand wash (step by step images)
• Appendix 2 - How to hand rub (step by step images)
• 5 moments of Hand Hygiene
• 4 moments of Hand Hygiene (Care Home settings)

Online events

• Participate in the WHO high-level global event with country and key partner organization leaders on 5 May 2021 at 1 pm CET (programme to follow).
• Attend the technical webinar on hand hygiene on 5 May from 3-4 pm CET. Free weber telecast