Which of the following is one of the five moments for hand hygiene according to WHO?

• A. Before touching a patient.
• B. Before eating lunch.
• C. After using the bathroom.
• D. During surgery.

Answer: (D)

Hand hygiene is timed to interrupt the transmission of microbes at key points of patient care. The World Health Organization defines five moments for hand hygiene: before touching a patient, before clean or aseptic procedures, after body fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient, and after touching patient surroundings. The idea is to clean your hands right before you could transfer organisms to the patient, right before doing something that must be sterile, right after you might have touched fluids, right after finishing contact with the patient, and after you’ve touched the patient’s environment.

From the options given, the one that aligns with a WHO moment is the point at which you are about to touch a patient. This direct pre-contact moment is essential to prevent transferring pathogens to the patient. The other options don’t correspond to a named moment in the WHO framework, though during procedures like surgery you would still perform hand hygiene before the sterile steps and after any potential contamination as part of the overall practice.