Founded by the Global Handwashing Partnership, Global Handwashing Day is celebrated annually on 15 October by highlighting the vital role of handwashing in preventing the spread of infectious diseases and protecting public health. The campaign provides an opportunity to develop, test and share innovative approaches that encourage handwashing at critical moments, helping to improve health outcomes in communities worldwide.
At the Healthcare Infection Society, we recognise the importance of a strong evidence base to support hand hygiene initiatives. Through our journals, the Journal of Hospital Infection (JHI) and Infection Prevention in Practice (IPIP), we are proud to publish research that advances understanding of hand hygiene across a wide range of healthcare and community settings.
To mark Global Handwashing Day 2026, we have brought together a recent selection of hand hygiene-related articles from the Editors-in-Chief at JHI and IPIP. We hope this collection will inform, inspire and support healthcare professionals, researchers and policymakers working to improve hand hygiene and reduce the burden of infection worldwide.
Multicentre feasibility evaluation of implementing a hypochlorous acid based hand disinfectant
Otter et al.
Healthcare Handbasin Design and Microbial Safety: A Review of Guidelines and Current Evidence
Todarello et al. | Open access
Evaluation of commercially available hand wipes for hand hygiene in water-safe care: removal of bacterial spores from hands
Ailbhe Barry & Ginny Moore | Open access
Status of hand hygiene implementation using multi-modal strategy in public hospitals of Ethiopia: a multi-centre study
Senbato et al. | Full length article
Hand hygiene compliance and glove use in Greece: a multi-centre, observational study in eight public hospitals
Astrinaki et al. | Full length article
Hand Hygiene Compliance and Postpartum Infections
Crouch et al. | In-press
Knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices of hand hygiene among hospital personnel and clinical students at Dr. Sumait Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia: a short report
Elmi et al. | In-press
Correlation Analysis between Hand Hygiene Product Consumption Trends and Healthcare-Associated Infections in a Tertiary Comprehensive Hospital in Yunnan Province, China (2015-2024)
Pan et al. | In-press
Effect of animation-based edutainment compared with pamphlet-based education on hand hygiene and HAI prevention among surgical patients: a quasi-experimental study
Ghafouri et al. | Full length article