Hand hygiene matters. Most of us seem to take our hand hygiene for granted. In a recent study we made, 85 percent of people around the world reported that they felt they washed their hands enough. We know from multiple health and wellness research reports that this is not the reality, whether in developed or developing markets. But does anyone really think it matters?
Interestingly, 58 percent of global consumers we talked to felt they would be very uncomfortable in a social setting if they hadn’t brushed their teeth, but just 44 percent said they would be very uncomfortable if they hadn’t washed their hands. This leads me to a practical hygiene question: When was the last time you caught a cold from someone because they didn’t brush their teeth?
Good hand hygiene, such as regular hand washing with soap, is one of the most practical methods for preventing the spread of many of the microbes that cause healthcare associated infections. According to the World Health Organization, within developed countries, these infections account for complications in 5-10 percent of hospital admissions. In developing countries, that rate can be two or sometimes 20 times higher. In the U.S., this equates to at least 80,000 fatalities each year that could be avoided.
There are impacts to businesses’ bottom lines too. Lack of proper hand washing contributes directly to the spread of viruses like the flu in offices, which leads to increased absenteeism especially this time of year. Think about your own work habits – after a commute into the office on crowded public transportation, do you wash your hands the moment you arrive? Our research suggests that about half of today’s office workers don’t. And people almost never wash their hands after touching money, which many suggest is among the dirtiest things people come in contact with. In fact, a study by researchers at New York University found that the average dollar bill contained more than 3000 forms of bacteria.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control has reported that if everyone routinely washed their hands more than a million deaths per year could be prevented. Many of these lost lives are children, typically under the age of five. Our work with kindergarten-aged students has shown that basic education over a prolonged period of time can have a powerful, positive effect, especially if you make it fun. Working with more than 8000 children in 18 kindergartens in Shenzhen China over a six month period we were able to reduce the risk of HFMD by more than 60 percent by teaching good hand hygiene habits and using an interactive app we created for young children, “Ella’s hand washing adventure.”
Hand washing is a typical case where a simple change in behavior can have significant health effects by reducing the risk of infections. So how can we use design and technology to make people wash their hands more often?
A number of creative solutions are emerging that aim to foster good hygiene habits: from self-sterilizing door handles, which use UV light to identify bacteria, to electronic hand hygiene recording and systems that remind healthcare workers to wash their hands before interacting with a patient as well as automatic hand sanitizers designed specifically for kids.
Ironically, when we say “I wash my hands” of something, we sometimes mean that we don’t want to get involved or take responsibility for what’s happening around us. That’s not an option when it comes to hand hygiene. If even one life was lost it would be reason enough to act, but sadly we have a million reasons. We need to talk about meaningful solutions to make progress and we need to raise awareness around the world.
We’re ready to start a global conversation. Join us at www.HygieneMatters.com.