WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care (2009)

Summary

The WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care provide healthcare workers (HCWs), hospital administrators and health authorities with a thorough review of evidence on hand hygiene in health care and specific recommendations to improve practices and reduce transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to patients and HCWs.

The present guidelines are intended to be implemented in any situation in which healthcare is delivered either to a patient or to a specific group in a population. Therefore, this concept applies to all settings where healthcare is permanently or occasionally performed.