Hand Hygiene
What is hand hygiene?
Hand hygiene means cleaning your hands using alcohol-based hand rub (hand sanitizer) or soap and water to remove or kill germs that can cause infection.
Why is hand hygiene important?
Clean hands are one of the most effective ways to help prevent the spread of infections. Good hand hygiene helps protect patients, visitors, volunteers and healthcare providers.
What is the best way to clean your hands?
Alcohol-based hand rub is the preferred method of hand hygiene in most situations. It is quick, readily available, and effective against many germs.
Use soap and water when:
- Your hands are visibly dirty or soiled
- You have been in contact with body fluids, or after using a toilet
- You have been in contact with a patient who has a Clostridiodes difficile (C. difficile) infection.
As a Patient or Visitor
Clean your hands often and encourage those around you to do the same. It is okay to ask your healthcare provider or visitor to clean their hands before providing care or visiting you.
When should patients and visitors clean their hands?
- Before entering and after exiting a patient room
- Before entering and after exiting the hospital
- Before and after touching a wound, dressing, medical devices, or other equipment connected to your body
- Before eating or drinking
- After using the washroom
- After touching frequently touched surfaces, such as door handles, bed rails, phones, or remote controls
When should healthcare providers clean their hands?
Healthcare providers should clean their hands:
- Before touching a patient or patient’s environment
- Before performing an aseptic procedure
- After a risk of contact with blood or other body fluids
- After touching a patient or after touching items or surfaces in the patient’s care environment
Help us keep Runnymede safe
At Runnymede Healthcare Centre, we monitor hand hygiene practices and share compliance results with staff.
This information helps us identify opportunities for improvement and strengthen infection prevention practices.
Clean hands help protect everyone at Runnymede.
Thank you for doing your part to prevent the spread of infections
To learn more about hand hygiene, please refer to our hand hygiene brochure (please click here for a version in Italian, and click here for a version in Portuguese).
To learn more about what Runnymede is doing to prevent infections, please read our infection control brochure (please click here for a version in Italian and click here for a version in Portuguese).
Links to public health videos:
How to Hand Rub I Public Health Ontario
How to Hand Wash I Public Health Ontario
Ongoing monitoring and auditing of hand hygiene practices is key. Hand hygiene compliance rates are calculated and feedback is provided to all.
Hand Hygiene Compliance Indicator
April – March 2026/2027
| Hand Hygiene Compliance | Before contact with a patient/patient environment | After contact with a patient/patient environment |
|---|---|---|
| April | 94% | 96% |
| May | 95% | 96% |
| June | 94% | 97% |
| July | 94% | 94% |
| August | 90% | 89% |
| September | 94% | 96% |
| October | ||
| November | ||
| December | ||
| January | ||
| February | ||
| March |
Hand Hygiene Compliance Rates
(April 2025- March 2026)
- Hand hygiene compliance before initial patient/patient environment contact is 94.42%
- Hand hygiene compliance after patient/patient environment contact is 95.24%
- Hand hygiene compliance before an aseptic procedure 100%
- Hand hygiene compliance after a risk of body fluid exposure 100%
(April 2024- March 2025)
- Hand hygiene compliance before initial patient/patient environment contact is 95.29%
- Hand hygiene compliance after patient/patient environment contact is 94.7%
(April 2023- March 2024)
- Hand hygiene compliance before initial patient/patient environment contact is 91%
- Hand hygiene compliance after patient/patient environment contact is 93%
(April 2022- March 2023)
- Hand hygiene compliance before initial patient/patient environment contact is 93%.
- Hand hygiene compliance after patient/patient environment contact is 94%.
(April 2021- March 2022)
- Hand hygiene compliance before initial patient/patient environment contact is 93%.
- Hand hygiene compliance after patient/patient environment contact is 92%.
(April 2020- March 2021)
- Hand hygiene compliance before initial patient/patient environment contact is 91%.
- Hand hygiene compliance after patient/patient environment contact is 92%.
(April 2019 – March 2020)
- Compliance before initial patient/patient environment contact: 90%.
- Compliance after patient/patient environment contact: 89%.
For more information about how our rates are calculated or to find out more about hand hygiene, please contact our infection prevention and control practitioner at 416-762-7316, ext. 2238.