The World Health Organization has revealed that that medical professionals in hospitals in five countries didn't always wash their hands effectively, thus failing to prevent the spread of infections to patients and other staff members.
WHO's Clean Care is Safer Care program was established to educate doctors and nurses on correct hand-hygiene practices, which can reduce the risk and spread of infections.
A study from the World Health Organization (WHO) found that doctors in several countries don't wash their hands the right way 40 percent of the time, the New York Daily News reported.
Nurses at the 43 hospitals across Costa Rica, Mali, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Italy that were reviewed had the highest compliance rates at 71percent, WHO said.
The study, which took place from 2006 to 2008, was related to WHO's Clean Care is Safer Care program. The organization has set out to teach medical professionals about proper hand hygiene in order to reduce the risk of infection and help prevent the spread of drug-resistant bacteria and viruses.
WHO says doctors and nurses should use alcohol-based rub or soap and water on their hands at five key moments: before touching a patient, before aseptic or sterile procedures, after they come into contact with bodily fluids, after touching a patient and after touching a patient's surroundings.
The findings were recently published in "Lancet Infectious Diseases.
