With the onset of "Hospital Infection Prevention Week" across the country, Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, is calling on hospitals nationwide to disclose their hand washing compliance rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers proper hand hygiene to be the single most important factor in protecting patients from hospital acquired infections, which kill nearly 100,000 Americans every year.
"Clean hands save lives," says Lisa McGiffert, Director of Consumers Union's Stop Hospital Infections campaign . McGiffert continues, "Unfortunately, most hospitals have a poor track record when it comes to making sure caregivers are protecting patients from infections by cleaning their hands properly
