Clean Hands Campaign awards clinic for high hygiene standards
As the Darmstadt Clinic reports, the hospital has been awarded the gold certificate of the "Clean Hands Campaign." The award is valid for the years 2026 and 2027 and is the highest recognition of the nationwide campaign for hand hygiene in healthcare facilities.
Last year, the hospital used approximately 23,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. There are more than 800 hand sanitizer dispensers in the patient rooms alone.
The hygiene team has been working on improvements for years
“Raising awareness about hand disinfection is an ongoing and constantly recurring process,” explains hygiene specialist Cornelia Sterkel-Sievers. The awarding of the gold certificate now demonstrates the successful implementation of this process.
The hospital's hygiene department, headed by Dr. Michael Eckardt, has reported continuous improvement since 2019. From 2019 to 2023, the hospital received bronze certification, followed by silver in 2024 and 2025. Now, for the first time, it has achieved the highest level, gold.
Regular training and inspections
To receive the award, numerous criteria must be met. These include regular hygiene training for all medical professionals, observations of hand hygiene on the wards with subsequent feedback, and a specified number of disinfectant dispensers throughout the entire building.
Annual action days to promote hand hygiene are also among the requirements.
Hand hygiene remains the most important protective measure
"The simplest and most effective way to prevent infections is good hand hygiene," emphasizes Cornelia Sterkel-Sievers. Patients are therefore actively informed about how they can protect themselves from germs in the hospital.
This year's hygiene days at the hospital focused, among other things, on the correct selection of hand and surface disinfectants. A UV lamp was also used to demonstrate whether disinfectant was completely applied to the hands.
Background to the Clean Hands Campaign
The "Clean Hands Campaign" is a nationwide campaign to improve hand disinfection in German healthcare facilities. It was launched in 2008 with the support of the Federal Ministry of Health.
Participants include the National Reference Centre for Surveillance of Nosocomial Infections, the Alliance for Patient Safety and the Society for Quality Management in Healthcare.
(DARMSTADT – RED/PM/KLINIKUM)
