New expert guidance offers suggestions for hand hygiene in healthcare facilities, according to a new study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Not enough hospitals implement hand-hygiene best practices, said Janet Haas, Ph.D., co-author of the guidelines, despite 150 years of research showing a correlation between hand hygiene and reduced hospital-acquired infections. Recommendations found in the guidance include convenient placement of soap and alcohol-based hand rubs in all patient care areas, hand-washing before direct patient contact, as well as before medication-handling, moving from contaminated to uncontaminated body sites on the same patient, and after contact with blood or bodily contact. Hospitals should also emphasize the importance of glove use and measure progress in hand-hygiene adherence, the guidance states. Abstract