3D Handwashing at Sant Joan d'Alacant Hospital

Handwashing is a simple act that can save lives. It is an essential practice in the clinical setting to reduce infections and prevent the spread of multi-resistant germs. Therefore, the Sant Joan d'Alacant Hospital has once again joined the celebration of World Hand Hygiene Day, as part of the "Save Lives: Clean Your Hands" campaign promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO).

This year, under the slogan "Gloves when indicated, Hand Hygiene always", the focus has been on the correct use of gloves in clinical practice.

The head of the Preventive Medicine Service at the Sant Joan centre, Teresa Gea, has reminded that "inadequate use of gloves without proper hand hygiene is equivalent to having dirty hands, facilitating the transmission of microorganisms."

Gea has emphasized that the unnecessary use of gloves not only fails to reduce the transmission of germs but also leads to unnecessary resource expenditure and an increase in medical waste, aspects that the campaign also aims to address.

To raise awareness among professionals, patients, and visitors, the Preventive Medicine Service has organized various activities throughout the day. An information desk has been set up in the main lobby where educational material and guidance on proper hand hygiene have been provided. Additionally, for the second consecutive year, attendees have been able to experience the correct handwashing technique in a virtual environment using 3D glasses.

As part of the training actions, a practical workshop using ultraviolet light has been conducted to check the effectiveness of handwashing. Educational videos on the importance of this practice for patient safety have also been shown. Additionally, a children's drawing contest has been held on this occasion, with the works displayed in the hospital and prizes awarded to the winners. Zoe Lauzier and Leticia Andrés have been the winners.

Preventive Medicine professionals have also toured the different floors of the hospital to distribute informational material and reinforce the campaign's message, and a specific training session aimed at hospital management has been conducted.

The use of gloves should be reserved for specific situations, such as before sterile procedures, when contact with blood, body fluids, non-intact skin, or mucous membranes is anticipated, and during the care of patients under contact precautions.

It is also essential to remove them if they become damaged or after finishing contact with fluids or contaminated areas and after attending to each patient or body area. Hand hygiene should always be performed after removing gloves and cannot be done with gloves on, only directly on the skin.