title: [Preventive measures for avoiding transmission of microorganisms between hospitalised patients. Hand hygiene].
abstract: Health-care associated infections are an important public health problem worldwide. The rates of health-care associated infections are indicators of the quality of health care. The infection control activities related to prevention of transmission of hospital microorganisms can be grouped in 4 mayor areas: standard precautions, specific precautions (including isolation if appropriate), environmental cleaning and disinfection, and surveillance activities (including providing infection rates and monitoring procedures). Hand hygiene and the correct use of gloves are the most important measures to prevent health-care associated infections and to avoid the dissemination of multidrug-resistant microorganisms. Continuous educational activities aimed at improving adherence to hand hygiene are needed. Periodical assessment of adherence to hand hygiene recommendations with feed-back have been shown to provide sustained improvement. Several complementary activities are being evaluated, including skin decolonization prior to certain surgeries, a package of measures in patients with central venous catheters or mechanical ventilation, and universal body hygiene with chlorhexidine. The present area of discussion concerns in which situations and in which groups would such measures be effective and efficient.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Gestión Clínica Intercentro de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Microbiología y Medicina Preventiva, Hospitales Universitarios Virgen Macarena y Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, España; Departamento de Enfermería, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, España. Electronic address: carmenlupion@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lupión
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Gestión Clínica Intercentro de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Microbiología y Medicina Preventiva, Hospitales Universitarios Virgen Macarena y Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, España.
authors.forename: Luis Eduardo
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: López-Cortés
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Gestión Clínica Intercentro de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Microbiología y Medicina Preventiva, Hospitales Universitarios Virgen Macarena y Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, España; Departamento de Medicina, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, España.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Baño
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D050456:Fomites; D017575:Gloves, Protective; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D063373:Hand Hygiene / Q000379:methods; D064548:Hand Sanitizers; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional; D017757:Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient / Q000517:prevention & control; D008397:Masks; D010356:Patient Isolation; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000193:education; D017751:Safety Management; D058257:Surgical Attire
chemical_list: D064548:Hand Sanitizers
keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; Asistencia sanitaria; Control de infecciones; Hand hygiene; Healthcare; Healthcare-associated infections; Infección nosocomial; Infección relacionada con la asistencia sanitaria; Infection control; Lavado de manos; Nosocomial infections; Resistencia antimicrobiana