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Endoscopy 2013; 45(06): 416-418
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1344122
Editorial
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Hand hygiene – an underestimated issue in endoscopy?

U. Beilenhoff
Scientific Secretariat, European Society of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Nurses and Associates, Ulm, Germany
› Author Affiliations
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Publication History

Publication Date:
03 June 2013 (online)

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Introduction

Nosocomial infections, also known as hospital-acquired infections, jeopardize patient safety and the quality of medical care worldwide. This global problem leads to significant mortality and a financial burden on virtually all economies.

Healthcare workers’ hands are the most likely vehicles for the transmission of pathogens from one patient to another, from the healthcare environment to a patient, and/or from staff to patients. Since Semmelweis’ day, it has been known that hand hygiene among healthcare workers is the simplest and most important measure to prevent the transmission of nosocomial infections. However, compliance with prescribed hand hygiene measures is often very poor [1] [2] [3].

In this issue of Endoscopy, Santos et al. address this topic in their evaluation of the impact of education interventions on hand hygiene compliance among endoscopy personnel [4].

 

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