Health Group Says More Hand Washing in Hospitals Will Save Thousands of Lives

EDMONTON (CP) – A national health-care society says insufficient hand washing in Canadian hospitals is costing the health system millions of dollars and thousands of lives.

The Canadian Patient Safety Institute is launching a national campaign this weekend to encourage hospital workers to wash their hands more often. According to a 2004 study, less than 40 per cent of health-care workers properly wash their hands.

Philip Hassen, CEO of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, says hospital infections, which are often spread by hand contact, kill between 8,000 and 12,000 people a year in Canada.

He says proper hand washing could cut those infections in half.

The institute is looking for 10 hospitals across the country to take part in a pilot program to measure the effect of better hand washing on infection rates.