A realistic approach towards hand hygiene for long-term care residents and health care personnel.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The World Health Organization's hand hygiene recommendations focus on health care personnel in all health care settings. In the long-term care facility (LTCF) environment, where, for many residents, the LTCF is also their home, the recommendations may not be applicable to commonly encountered LTCF situations. The recommendations also do not address the importance of resident hand hygiene program to promote health and prevent infection.