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Evidence Based Hand Hygiene in Veterinary Surgery: What Is Holding Us Back?

Author(s):
Verwilghen D.,
Singh G.,
van Galen G. and
Dupré G.P.
In: ECVS - Annual Scientific Meeting - Italy, 2013 by European College of Veterinary Surgeons
Updated:
JUL 06, 2013
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Step by step we have adapted our medical decision- making to the light of new scientific evidence. As much as possible, recommended medical protocols should now be evidence-based, which may result in changes in diagnostic methods and treatments in veterinary medicine as in human medicine. Despite this, in the field of hand hygiene, things have evolved slowly. Surely, the field has advanced since 1800’s, when Semmelweis and Lister were making seminal (yet controversial) discoveries of the benefits of hand hygiene and laid foundations for the concepts of asepsis and vigorously fought the disbelief they were facing. Yet, are we open-heartedly embracing evidence today?

According to a survey performed in 2009 amongst ECVS and ACVS diplomates, 6.7% of respondents were following World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines for pre-surgical hand asepsis. Unfortunately, in a survey performed in 2013, still 66% of the 218 respondents did not follow the current WHO guidelines based on the scientific evidence available today in this field. So what do current guidelines and evidence say? Additionally, what is right; current guidelines or current practices?  [...]

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How to reference this publication (Harvard system)?

Verwilghen, D. et al. (2013) “Evidence Based Hand Hygiene in Veterinary Surgery: What Is Holding Us Back?”, ECVS - Annual Scientific Meeting - Italy, 2013. Available at: https://www.ivis.org/library/ecvs/ecvs-annual-scientific-meeting-italy-2013/evidence-based-hand-hygiene-veterinary-surgery-what-holding-us-back-0 (Accessed: 09 December 2023).

Author(s)

  • Verwilghen D.

    Département clinique des Animaux de compagnie et des Equidés, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, University of Liège
    Read more about this author

  • Singh G.

    Ph.D. Student
    Department of Veterinary Gynecology and Obstetrics, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, LLR Univ of Veterinary and Animal Science
    Read more about this author
  • G. van Galen

    van Galen G.

    Associate Professor
    DVM, MSc, PhD, DES, Dipl ECEIM, Dipl ECVECC
    Sydney School of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney
    Read more about this author

  • Dupré G.P.

    DVM Dipl ECVS
    Department of Small Animal Surgery, Clinical Department of Small Animals and Horses, Veterinary University
    Read more about this author

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