It’s one of the simplest steps in stopping germs from spreading – but nearly half of hospital toilet users are failing to wash their hands, a new study has found.
Researchers at the University of Surrey put sensors on toilet and sink pipes to monitor hygiene behaviours at a hospital in Denmark.
Over the roughly five-month period, they found that 43.7% of users did not wash their hands after using the loo.
The figure, which jumped to 61.8% on some of the weeks, has raised the alarm about hygiene practices that some might have assumed had become commonplace after the pandemic.
Dr Pablo Pereira Doel from the University of Surrey said people failing to wash their hands could ‘directly affect patient safety’ in hospitals.
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People were especially bad at washing their hands at the start and end of the day, as well as during mealtimes.
NHS guidance says hand washing is ‘one of the easiest ways to protect yourself and others from illnesses’.
The advice hit the headlines at the start of the pandemic when then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the nation to ‘wash your hands for 20 seconds or more’.
Professor Benjamin Gardner, from the University of Surrey, said: ‘Strategies that raise awareness at the crucial point in a bathroom visit and easily understood messaging about how to wash effectively – like singing Happy Birthday twice over – can help people form handwashing habits that last.’
The study took place at Bispebjerg hospital in Copenhagen, recording 2,636 over the course of 19 weeks.
Professor Carrie Newlands, also of the University of Surrey, added the latest findings are ‘not surprising’.
‘Even simple behaviours like handwashing can lapse without reinforcement.
‘In hospitals, lapses like these can have serious consequences – for patients and for the wider healthcare system.
‘It’s time we moved beyond posters and hand gel stations to more effective behavioural strategies.’
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