Hand Hygiene rates represents the hand washing rates for healthcare workers within the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the IWK. The rates are collected and reported to quarterly by hygiene auditors who are trained hospital staff. The rates for healthcare workers who clean their hands before initial contact with a patient and/or patient environment and the rates for after contact with the patient and/or patient environment are reported publicly and included in this dataset. Proper hand hygiene is one of the most important means to preventing the spread of germs which can cause infections. This dataset lists the hand hygiene rates that are reported publicly by the Department of Health and Wellness. Data fields include: Year, Quarter, Zone, Before Initial Contact, After Contact.