5^th National Hand Hygiene Campaign

To mark the World Health Organization's (WHO) World Hand Hygiene Day on 5 May, the Minister of Health, Ms Lydia Mutsch, and the Minister of Family Affairs and Integration, Ms Corinne Cahen, have launched the 5^th National Hand Hygiene Campaign (Campagne nationale d'hygiène des mains - CNHM) 'Propper Hänn - Sécher Hänn'.

This campaign has been developed by the Ministry of Health alongside hospital nurses and hygienists and with the support of the National Group for Guidance in Preventing Hospital-Acquired Infections (Groupe national de guidance en matière de prévention de l'infection nosocomiale - GNPIN) in conjunction with the Ministry of Family Affairs, Integration and the Greater Region and the Confederation for Care and Assistance Providers (Confédération des organismes prestataires d'aides et de soins - COPAS).

It is aimed at all health and care professionals in all sectors, as well as citizens, and aims to increase awareness on the importance of hand hygiene to reduce health care-associated infections.

Hand hygiene and patient safety

The WHO estimates that 7 % of hospital patients in Europe develop a health care-associated infection and 1/3 of these could be prevented. The rate of health care-associated infections can reach up to 30 % among vulnerable patients in a critical condition and in intensive care units.

However, the rate of health care-associated infections (also known as hospital-acquired infections) and/or drug-resistant organisms decreases when hand hygiene measures are observed. Several studies have shown that the hand hygiene of health care professionals and management plays a part in reducing the frequency of hospital-acquired infections caused by drug-resistant organisms, in particular MRSA.

As Ms Lydia Mutsch points out, "Good hand hygiene is the safest, most effective and cheapest way for health care professionals – and other personnel assisting patients – to prevent hospital-acquired infections; it is a key factor in combating health care-associated infections and the spread of pathogens."

Hospital sector: a charter for hand hygiene

In Luxembourg, the Ministry of Health welcomes the re-signing of the 'Charter of Commitment to Hand Hygiene' with all stakeholders in the hospital sector and associations, as a sign of their commitment and support for patient safety.

The 2017 campaign highlights the commitment that hospitals, associations and health care professionals have shown towards hand hygiene since 2009 in particular and addresses patients with the slogan: 'Preventing infections is our priority for your safety'.

In light of the restructuring and changes to the landscapes of hospitals and associations in recent years, it proved necessary for hospital managers and association presidents to re-sign the charter in 2017. This re-signing underlines the leadership of hospitals and associations in their commitment to hand hygiene.

Elderly people and the disability sector

The Ministry of Family Affairs, Integration and the Greater Region also welcomes the sectors it oversees re-signing the charter.

Managers of facilities and services for elderly people first signed the charter in 2011. In 2013, managers of facilities and services for disabled people also signed it. The charter has been adapted to meet additional criteria for care and assistance facilities, while also balancing the sphere of life, quality of life and quality of care, in a similar way to the hospital environment.

COPAS will sign the charter to underline the commitment of care and assistance providers to quality of care and patient safety. COPAS is an organisation that represents care and assistance providers for elderly, unwell or disabled people, or those with mental health issues, at home or in residential care.

The key theme for 2017 is 'Getting leadership involved' 

The support for hand hygiene expressed by hospital managers and care and assistance facilities when signing the charter is echoed by the commitment of all health care professionals and management in the facilities with the 'Our setting is participating – so am I', flyer, which directors, heads of departments/care units, nurses, physiotherapists and other professionals can personalise by adding their photo and signature.

Preventing infections must be a priority for everyone in hospitals and in facilities and services for elderly and disabled people.

Patients at the heart of care 

A national campaign has been organised every 2 years since 2009 to promote hand hygiene in health care settings. Coinciding with World Hand Hygiene Day on 5 May, this campaign aims to promote current international recommendations on the topic.

With each edition, the target audience of the National Hand Hygiene Campaign grows: while only hospitals were targeted in 2009, the second edition of the National Hand Hygiene Campaign in 2011 was run in collaboration with the Ministry of Family Affairs and Integration and included the long-term care for the elderly and homecare sectors.

In 2013, it was extended to the disability sector.

In 2015, the National Hand Hygiene Campaign made a more active call on patients to take action for their own health; to encourage patient participation in promoting and improving hand hygiene, the Ministry of Health sent them the message: 'Before I tend to you, I'll clean my hands! If I forget, remind me!'

Patient participation is a very effective way to improve the quality of health care: it reinforces and supports the development of a culture of safety in all settings where health care is provided.

With the launch of the campaign on 5 May 2017, a radio advert in Luxembourgish and Portuguese will urge citizens to play an active role in their own health.

In the acute care sector, these messages will be conveyed using various media materials from the 2017 campaign: a banner at hospital entrances (5 May), a flyer, a poster and an information leaflet for patients. 

In long-term care and out-of-hospital settings, the messages of the National Hand Hygiene Campaign had to be tailored to the specific context of the facilities and services for elderly and disabled people.

The idea is to place greater emphasis on designing facilities as community spaces while underlining the importance of preventing the potential risks mentioned in the campaign. To reflect this objective, the same slogan has been chosen for 2017 as for 2015: 'Dir sidd hei a propperen Hänn / Mir respektéieren d’Hänn-Hygiène'.

However, this year's campaign is not only aimed at those providing care to elderly or disabled people; it also targets people who come into regular contact with them, including all service users and members of their family and friends.

Care providers in long-term care and out-of-hospital settings will display the 2017 campaign materials in their premises, including the poster for facilities and services for elderly and disabled people, the 'Preventing infections is our priority for your safety' leaflet and the 'My setting is participating – so am I' flyer.