Methods
We began by examining the scientific literature on the provisional WHO recommendation on hand hygiene from the year 2006 (e3). For studies published from 2006 onward we performed a selective review of the publications in the National Library of Medicine. Furthermore, we evaluated the recommendations of the following institutions:
— Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Prevention of Infection, Robert Koch Institute (RKI) ( 2)
— Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) (e4)
— WHO (final recommendation) ( 3)
— Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (e5).