Following a new strategy from WHO, Georgia took its next step in a journey towards improved hand hygiene in health-care facilities. The strategy comprises several aspects, including workshops for infection prevention and control (IPC) and monitoring and improvement of the hand hygiene programme.
As well as improving IPC for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, the strategy will have an impact on the reduction of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and health-care associated infections (HAIs), building lasting change in IPC practices.
“Hand hygiene plays a key role in the prevention of all hospital infections. Hand hygiene programmes can reduce HAIs by 50% if implemented properly,” says Jennifer Collins, an IPC expert for the WHO southern Caucasus hub.
Hand hygiene – no trivial matter
Out of every 100 hospitalized patients, it is estimated that 7 patients in developed countries and 15 patients in developing countries will acquire at least 1 infection following treatment in a health-care facility. The knock-on effects of HAIs include prolonged hospital stays, long-term disability, increased antibiotic use leading to AMR, additional financial burdens and excess deaths.
Hand hygiene has received unprecedented attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, making it a central measure in IPC strategies. Earlier this year, World Hand Hygiene Day focused on the theme of “A culture of safety”. It encouraged national, regional and facility-level health-care workers and leaders to work together to create a culture that values IPC, including hand hygiene.
Continued WHO support
Efforts to increase hand hygiene in health-care facilities across Georgia commenced with a WHO-supported project that focused on ensuring a culture of safety. IPC teams have been strengthened as nurses and epidemiologists benefit from the guidance of the WHO multimodal improvement strategy. They are learning important lessons from the first year of implementation and designing better approaches for the future.
“Successful functioning of IPC in medical facilities is vital for ensuring patient safety and quality of medical care. In this regard, hand hygiene plays a critical role, which has been amply demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic,” explains Marine Baidauri, an IPC focal point at the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs.