Hand hygiene helps protect healthcare providers and their patients from infection. The simple act of cleaning your hands can prevent the spread of germs, including those that are resistant to antibiotics.

Some healthcare personnel may need to clean their hands as many as 100 times during a work shift. Keeping the skin on your hands healthy and clean is a challenge that requires all healthcare personnel to be knowledgeable about how to care for their hands and when hands should be cleaned.

The CDC’s Clean Hands Count website offers free downloadable resources for both providers and patients, including fact sheets, brochures and flyers.