Other than that it’s just plain gross for them not to…
Most patients feel uncomfortable asking their health care providers to wash their hands.
But here is why it’s really important to anyway:
It saves lives. Nearly 100,000 deaths a year are linked to infections picked up in doctor’s offices, nursing homes and hospitals.
It prevents infections. Duh. But did you know that it is estimated that there are over 1.4 million cases of health care associated infection at any given time? And this is probably an underestimate since surveillance is not always happening.
It keeps you safer. Health-care facilities which embrace strategies for improving hand hygiene are usually more open to closer scrutiny of their infection control practices in general, which can help keep you safer.
WHO says? Hand hygiene is the WHO’s first pillar to promote Global Patient Safety.
It’s free and easy. It is simple, low-cost, and easy to do, and actually can prevent the spread of many of the microbes that cause health care-associated infections.
One reason healthcare workers only wash their hands part of the time is that they’re overwhelmed by other tasks, and simply forget.
The CDC actually encourages patients and their loved ones to take matters into their own hands and ask.
You can find the “Hand Hygiene Saves Lives” video here and other patient empowerment materials here.