Portugal hand hygiene compliance reaches 82.2%, says DGS

Portugal’s healthcare professionals recorded a hand hygiene compliance rate of 82.2% last year, close to the level seen during the covid-19 pandemic (82.6%). The figures come from the Directorate-General of Health (DGS) and are being published for World Hand Hygiene Day, marked this Tuesday.

DGS data on hand hygiene compliance in Portugal

The latest result continues a sustained rise since 2015, when compliance was around 73%, reflecting the ongoing work of healthcare teams in infection prevention and control. Even so, the DGS stresses that strategies still need to be strengthened to reach excellence levels aligned with international standards.

Where adherence is lowest: before patient contact

In 2025, more than 530,000 hand hygiene opportunities were observed, with around 436,000 carried out correctly. Despite this progress, weaknesses remain-particularly at the moment “before contact with the patient”, which still shows the lowest compliance rate (75.8%), although it is improving.

Why hand hygiene matters: infection prevention and antimicrobial resistance

Hand hygiene is widely regarded as one of the most effective measures for preventing healthcare-associated infections and reducing the spread of microorganisms, including those resistant to antibiotics. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest global threats to public health.

International estimates indicate that, by 2050, healthcare-associated infections and antibiotic resistance could lead to around 10 million deaths a year worldwide-a figure comparable to cancer mortality.

WHO 2025 campaign and the “Five Moments for hand hygiene”

This year’s WHO campaign, under the slogan “Every action counts. Action saves lives”, highlights the need to follow the so-called “Five Moments for hand hygiene”:

• before contact with the patient
• before aseptic procedures
• after risk of exposure to body fluids
• after contact with the patient
• after contact with the surrounding environment

Another challenge identified is the inappropriate use of gloves.

Health authorities argue that improving compliance depends on active leadership, institutional commitment and continuous staff training, alongside assured access to essential resources such as water, soap and antiseptic hand rubs.