Interpretation of terms used to describe handwashing activities

A literature review on the use of alcohol-based handrubs highlighted many variations in the terms used to describe the activities related to effective hand hygiene. This suggests that an individual's interpretation of the terms used to describe hand-hygiene activities may lead to a variation in compliance with any protocol or guideline employing them. This article describes an audit that was undertaken to establish whether the definition of the terms handwashing, hygienic handwashing and hygienic handrub varied between grades of staff and disciplines who have direct contact with patients. The aim was to identify different healthcare professionals' understanding of the terms used to describe hand-cleansing activities. The results indicate that a variation in understanding of these terms did exist between these grades and disciplines. This may indicate that there is a need for the definition of the terms used to be clearly stated, consistent in their use and universally adopted.