(Canada) Infection Prevention & Control Best Practices: Hand Hygiene for Health Care Settings

Hand Hygiene for Health Care Settings mobile app is intended to guide clinical practice only and provide decision-making on infection prevention and control issues. This app is to assist the health care provider by providing a concise guide to clean care in the long-term care setting, and home and community care settings. This app is specific to Hand Hygiene for Health Care Settings and focuses on screening clients/residents, risk assessment, and risk reduction strategies including clean hands, clean equipment, clean environment and health care provider and client education.Hand hygiene is the responsibility of all individuals involved in health care. Hand hygiene refers to removing or killing microorganisms on the hands as well as maintaining good skin integrity. There are two methods of removing/killing microorganisms on hands: washing with soap and running water or using an alcohol based hand rub. Generally, the focus is on microorganisms that have been picked up by contact with clients/ health care providers, contaminated equipment, or the environment (transient or contaminating bacteria). Effective hand hygiene kills or removes microorganisms on the skin and maintains hand health.