Lives at risk because we’ve already forgotten a basic mantra

Hands, face, space. Hands, face, space. Hands, face, space.

It was one of the mantras of the Covid era, but it appears as though many people have already forgotten the value of washing their hands after they pee or poop. Including in hospitals.

A new study has found that nearly half of people using toilets there are walking straight past the sinks.

Over a five-month period, 43.7% of people failed to wash their hands, but on some weeks it was as high as 61.8%.

People were especially bad at washing their hands at the start and end of the day, as well as during mealtimes.

Dr Pablo Pereira Doel, from the University of Surrey which carried out the study in Denmark, fears patients’ safety is being put at risk.

NHS guidance says hand washing is ‘one of the easiest ways to protect yourself and others from illnesses’.

The advice hit the headlines at the start of the pandemic when then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the nation to ‘wash your hands for 20 seconds or more’.

Professor Benjamin Gardner said: ‘Strategies that raise awareness at the crucial point in a bathroom visit and easily understood messaging about how to wash effectively – like singing Happy Birthday twice over – can help people form handwashing habits that last.’

The study took place at Bispebjerg hospital in Copenhagen, and tracked 2,636 toilet visits using sensors on sinks and toilets for 19 weeks.

Professor Carrie Newlands, also of the University of Surrey, added the latest findings are ‘not surprising’.

‘Even simple behaviours like handwashing can lapse without reinforcement.

‘In hospitals, lapses like these can have serious consequences – for patients and for the wider healthcare system.

‘It’s time we moved beyond posters and hand gel stations to more effective behavioural strategies.’

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