Clean Care is Safer Care: The first global challenge of the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety

Abstract

Dr. Pittet is from the Global Patient Safety Challenge, WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety; and Dr. Donaldson is from the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety, WHO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland. Address reprint requests to Didier Pittet, MD, MS, Director, Infection Control Programme, University of Geneva Hospitals, 24 rue Micheli-du-Crest, 1211 Geneva-14, Switzerland. didier.pittet@hcuge.ch © World Health Organization [2005]. All rights reserved. The World Health Organization has granted SLACK Incorporated permission for the reproduction of this article. The authors thank the group of international experts and WHO members who worked to the development of the Global Patient Safety Challenge, in particular for their participation to the two international WHO Consultations, review of the available scientific evidence, writing of the WHO draft Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care, and fostering discussion among authors and members of the different task forces and working groups. The complete list of participants in the development of the guidelines documents is available at www.who.int/patientsafety/events/05/27_AprilParticipantList.pdf (accessed August 8, 2005). They also thank the patient safety team and other WHO staff from all the departments involved at HQ and in the regional offices for their work, the members of the Infection Control Programme at the University of Geneva Hospitals, and Rosemary Sudan for providing editorial assistance and outstanding support. For further information on the World Alliance or the Global Patient Safety Challenge, go to www.who.int/patientsafety/en (accessed August 8, 2005). Clean Care is Safer Care: The First Global Challenge of the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety