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Updated: May 12, 2026

A Method to Test the Efficacy of Handwashing for the Removal of Emerging Infectious Pathogens
Published on: June 7, 2017
Handwashing adherence by visitors is poor: is there a simple solution?
Theodore A Willison-Parry1, Elizabeth A C Haidar, Luigi G Martini
1School of Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, UK.
Abstract:
Available evidence suggests that handwashing adherence by visitors to hospital clinics is poor. In this investigation, an audit of 180 people showed that handwashing adherence by visitors to a hospital clinic was 25%, which was very low. Our active method to encourage handwashing led to a marked improvement in adherence from 25% to 68%, increasing to 77% for longer term visitors to the clinic (significance, P < .0001).
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