FORUM Working together for World Hand Hygiene Day on 5 May Safe hands in hospitals and outpatient care ‘Action saves lives‘ was the slogan chosen by the World Health Organization (WHO) for this year‘s World Hand Hygiene Day [1]. Under the motto ‘Taking action together: Safe hands in hospitals and outpatient care‘, HARTMANN supported the campaign by highlighting the importance of hand hygiene in preventing infections in all areas, hospitals and outpatient care. As outpatient care becomes more prevalent, invasive procedures, which carry an increased risk of infection, are being transferred to outpatient settings more frequently [2]. A study in outpatient dialysis centres shows that targeted measures are effective: multimodal interventions significantly increased hand hygiene compliance (HHC) and reduced dialysis-associated infection rates [3]. Regular training promotes good hand hygiene Numerous studies also demonstrate the importance of continuous training for achieving high HHC. One study, which lasted five years, showed that regular training with feedback maintains and further increases HHC in all occupational groups [4]. Another long-term study over seven years confirmed that systematic monitoring, feedback and corrective measures improve HHC in the long term [5]. In addition to training, key success factors for HHC appear to be personal goals, such as self-protection and the protection of others, and habit formation [6]. To support your ongoing training, the HARTMANN ACADEMY offers numerous courses on proper hand hygiene and many other topics. You can find our video series, ‘Hygiene in a nutshell‘, on the HARTMANN SCIENCE CENTER YouTube channel. These videos provide simple answers to hygiene terms and questions. HARTMANN products for effective and protective hand hygiene More information and materials on World Hand Hygiene Day can be found here: About the WHO campaign: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-hand-hygiene-day/2026 For the HARTMANN campaign and our downloadable materials: https://www.hartmann-science-center.com/en/top-issues/campaign-days/world-handhygiene-day-2026 For webinars, e-learnings courses and training courses from the HARTMANN Academy: https://www.hartmann.info/en/learning-and-knowledge Video series ‘Hygiene i a nutshell‘ available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HARTMANNSCIENCECENTER References: 1. https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-hand-hygiene-day/world-hand-hygiene-day-2026 (accessed on 23 February 2026) 2. Kreutzberg A et al. (2024) Health Policy 140: 104968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2023.104968 3. Weikert B et al. (2024) Clin Microbiol Infect 30: 1147-1153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2024.01.020 4. Hoffmann M et al. (2018) J Clin Nurs 28: 912-919. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14703 5. Yue J & Pan H (2025) Front Public Health 13: 1588336. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1588336 6. von Auer C et al.. (2024) PLoS One 19: e0315456. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315456pdf Whether outpatient or inpatient: The Sterillium® product range, including Sterillium® pure, is suitable for all applications. Free from colorants and perfumes, Sterillium® pure is ideal for those with sensitive skin, asthma or atopic conditions. With the HARTMANN hand hygiene system, which includes skin tolerable washing lotions and hand disinfectants as well as protective care lotions and compatible surgical gloves, we are also addressing the growing demand for special skin protection combined with high effectiveness. 14
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