Hospital Hygiene Team
Dr. med. Doris Weitzel-Kage
Specialist in Hygiene and Environmental Medicine (external consultant)
Dr. med. Peter Mark
Hygiene Officer (Physician)
Anne Liese
Infection Control Specialist, Westklinik Dahlem (anne.liese@westklinik-dahlem.de)
Aida Sisic
Hygiene Officer (Nursing)
A happy little hand
Timing is everything! To protect yourself and others as well as possible, there are specific moments when you should disinfect your hands:
- When entering or leaving the patient's room
- After using the toilet or a bedpan
- Before eating, drinking or taking medication
- Before and after contact with your own wound, mucous membranes or intravenous lines
- After contact with frequently touched surfaces in the hospital (e.g. door handles, handrails)
Dear patients and visitors,
the human body’s natural flora, with all its bacteria, is fundamentally a good and useful thing. Bacteria are essential for digestion and very important for our immune system. On our skin and mucous membranes, for example, they prevent foreign bacteria from invading unchecked.
Bacteria are small, mobile organisms. They can travel from one place to another by various routes, survive there and, under favourable conditions, multiply.
In a hospital, many different people come together, each with their own, often different bacterial flora. Under certain circumstances, individual bacteria can reach places where they may cause harm. We then refer to this as an infection.
Our own bacteria, for instance, can travel through our bloodstream within our own body. But they can also be carried via hands, objects and surfaces and reach other people.
In a hospital, following hygiene measures is very important. Hand hygiene is the single most important measure of all, since most pathogens are transmitted via our hands.
Another important measure is the regular cleaning and daily disinfection of surfaces and medical devices.
It matters greatly to us to create a hygienic environment for patients, visitors and staff alike. We achieve this by following hygiene instructions and through motivating training and continuing education for all staff. All our work processes and hygiene instructions are aligned with statutory requirements (KRINKO recommendations).
You, too, as a patient or visitor, can make a significant contribution to preventing the spread of germs – for example by disinfecting your hands when entering the clinic, and when entering and before leaving the room.
That way, you give germs no chance.
Should you have any questions or comments before, during or after your stay at Westklinik Dahlem, please don’t hesitate to speak to us or write to us. We want you to feel safe with us.
Your Hospital Hygiene Team