Reminding Each Other to Keep Hands Clean

We all know that teaching kids early in their lives create good habits.  Hand Hygiene is also one.  It is a simple task which can be easily learnt.  Our hands pick up germs everywhere, young children and adults alike.  Proper handwashing with soap and water helps to remove harmful germs and prevent spread of diseases.

Parents teach their children to clean hands before eating, after coughing or sneezing, after going to the toilet, or when hands get dirty, etc.  Yet, sometimes, we forget, for one reason or another.  Family members can remind each other either by saying “Please clean your hands” or by a simple hand gesture.  Children can also remind older family members when they notice that they forget to clean their hands when they should do so.  A positive response from the one being reminded will reinforce the family member who offers the reminder that good hand hygiene is the right choice.

Family members love each other.  Friendly reminders are not meant to upset or give each other a hard time, but to breed good and hygienic habits.  Let’s start by reminding our family members from today!

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Mother reminds children

Children may also remind the elder

Mutual reminding between family members

Schools are the places where we learn and grow. Students acquire knowledge and skills from teachers. Schools may also be places where communicable diseases, such as influenza and hand, foot, mouth disease can spread quickly between people and result in outbreaks. Hence, the importance of hand hygiene needs to be stressed.

Teachers can remind students to wash hands with soap and water when they get dirty, or before meals. Students may also remind teachers as and when necessary. A positive response from the one being reminded will reinforce the one who offers the reminder that good hand hygiene is the right choice.

Education should aim at nurturing and developing young students as caring, active participants in a lifelong journey of learning. Friendly reminders are not meant to upset or tease, but to breed good and hygienic habits. Let’s start by reminding each other at SCHOOL from today!

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Teacher reminds students

Student may also remind teacher

Mutual reminding between students

Hand hygiene is effective in preventing healthcare associated infection and the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Trained healthcare workers (HCWs) are expected to perform hand hygiene according to the 5 moments recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) which include:

(1) before touching a patient,

(2) before clean/aseptic procedure,

(3) after body fluid exposure risk,

(4) after touching a patient, and 

(5) after touching patient surroundings.

Patients or accompanying visitors are also expected to perform hand hygiene during their stay in clinics or health centres. Common hand hygiene moments for patients/visitors include before and after visiting healthcare facilities, after coughing or sneezing, after touching public installations or equipment, after going to the toilet, as well as before touching the eyes, nose and mouth.

Although hand hygiene is a standard component of patient safety, studies often found that compliance with hand hygiene among HCWs might not be as good as expected. In the general population, it was widely recognized that hand washing could lower the risks of respiratory infections, eye infections and diarrhoea. With the increased reporting of multidrug resistant micro-organisms in the community, all need to beware and help in combating anti-microbial resistance, before it’s too late.

A positive response from the one being reminded will reinforce the person who offers the reminder that good hand hygiene is important. Friendly reminders are not meant to question professional practice nor being over-demanding to patients, but to enforce hygienic habits for good. Whether you are a doctor or nurse or a patient, let’s start by reminding each other in the clinic from today!

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HCW reminds patient on hand hygiene

Patient may also remind HCW and enhance hand hygiene practice

Hand hygiene is effective in preventing healthcare associated infection and the spread of antimicrobial resistance. HCWs are expected to keep proper hand hygiene. Patients or visitors are also expected to perform hand hygiene during their stay in hospitals wards.

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health (DH) supports the Hospital Authority (HA) in its implementation of the Patient Empowerment Programme in Hand Hygiene in its hospitals. Patients are encouraged to remind healthcare workers to perform hand hygiene before and after contact with them. Proper hand hygiene is the most simple and effective means to prevent infectious diseases.

The DH and HA have strived to promote hand hygiene so as to reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections. They have used a multi-pronged approach: first, there should be sufficient facilities to perform hand hygiene such as handwashing basins, alcohol-based handrub placed near beds and at all nurse stations. Health promotional materials should be widely accessible, for example, displaying publicity posters and signages in conspicuous locations within the hospitals to remind healthcare workers, patients and visitors to perform hand hygiene regularly.

Even though all trained healthcare workers understand the importance of hand hygiene, they may still forget this important step during routine work, especially before patient contact and after touching patient’s surroundings. Frontline healthcare workers are busily managing their heavy workload. With the wards loaded with patients, it is understandable that they may miss a step or two at times. In fact, DH and HA conducts Hand Hygiene Audit regularly. Compliance rate have been high and performance have been good. Hand hygiene audit will continue to be conducted, aiming to make proper hand hygiene a habit for all.

Patients have the right to protect their own health. Healthcare workers have the duty to care and prevent patients from infectious diseases. A positive response from the one being reminded will reinforce the person who offers the reminder that good hand hygiene is important. Friendly reminders are not meant to question professional practice nor being over-demanding to patients, but to enforce hygienic habits for good. Whether you are a doctor or nurse or a patient, let’s start by reminding each other in the clinic from today!

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HCW reminds patient on hand hygiene

HCW also reminds visitor

Patient may also remind HCW and enhance hand hygiene practice

• Proper Hand Hygiene
• HA hand hygiene video (source: CICO office, HA; Chinese version only)
• WHO SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands