Didier Pittet

Professor
Didier Robert Pittet
CBE MD MS
Director, Infection Control Programme, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 January 1992
External Lead, World Health Organization (WHO) Global Patient Safety Challenge "Clean Care is Safer Care" and African Partnerships for Patient Safety
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 September 2004
Personal details
Born (1957-03-20) 20 March 1957 (age 69)
Geneva, Switzerland
EducationCollège Calvin
Alma materUniversity of Geneva Faculty of Medicine
ProfessionPhysician

Didier Pittet (born 20 March 1957 in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Swiss infectious diseases expert and the director of the Infection Control Programme and WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. Since 2005, Pittet is also the External Lead of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Patient Safety Challenge "Clean Care is Safer Care" and African Partnerships for Patient Safety.

In the 2007 New Year Honours List, Didier Pittet was awarded the Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of his services related to the prevention of healthcare-associated infections in the UK.

Career

Pittet graduated in 1976 from the Collège Calvin secondary school in Geneva, Switzerland. Following a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Community Health at the University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine, he graduated as M.D. in 1983 from the same institution, and received a master's degree (MS) in Epidemiology and Public Health from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, US, in 1992. Pittet began his career as an infectious diseases expert with a special interest in the intensive care setting and device-associated and yeast infections, but this rapidly expanded to include research in overall hospital epidemiology and infection prevention and control. In 1992, he was appointed as Director of the Infection Control Programme at the University Hospital of Geneva and named Professor of Medicine in 2000 by the University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine.

Pittet is visiting professor, Division of Investigative Science and School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK; Honorary Professor, 1st Medical School of the Fu, Shanghai, China; Honorary Professor, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, SAR, China. Since 2002, Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) Planning Committee member Since 2011, Co-chair, 1st International Conference on Prevention and Infection Control (ICPIC)

Landmark research

Initial observation studies in Geneva by Pittet's team showed a low compliance with basic hand hygiene practices and a lack of awareness by healthcare workers that the main cause of cross-transmission of microorganisms is by hands. Time constraint was identified as the major determinant for poor compliance. The challenge was to facilitate hand hygiene for staff and to find an innovative idea to do so. Under Pittet's leadership, the team investigated concepts from the social sciences to help understand the determinants driving healthcare worker behaviour, which led to the creation of a multimodal strategy based on education, recognition of opportunities for hand hygiene, and feedback on performance where the key component was the introduction of alcohol-based hand rub at the point of care to replace handwashing at the sink ("system change"), thus bypassing the time constraint of the latter method.

"The Geneva Hand Hygiene Model": a breakthrough intervention

The first multimodal intervention ran from 1995 to 2000 at the University of Geneva Hospitals with a spectacular decrease of almost 50% in hospital-associated infections and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) transmission in parallel with a sustained improvement in compliance with hand hygiene. The methodology and results were published in The Lancet in 2000 and the strategy became known in as "The Geneva Hand Hygiene Model". During 1995–1997, Pittet had applied the same multimodal concept to a prevention strategy targeted at vascular access care and showed that it can decrease these infections and substantially impact on the overall incidence of all intensive care unit-acquired infections. Similarly, interventions to reduce urinary tract infections were successfully applied. Pittet's team also proved the cost-effectiveness of their interventions and long-term sustainability.

Going global

In 2004, Pittet was approached by the WHO World Alliance of Patient Safety to lead the First Global Patient Safety Challenge under the banner "Clean Care is Safer Care". The mandate was to galvanise global commitment to tackle health-care associated infection, which had been identified as a significant area of risk for patients in all United Nations Member States. Hand hygiene was to be the cornerstone of the Challenge. As co-author of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines for Hand Hygiene, Pittet proposed that WHO Guidelines for Hand Hygiene in Health Care be developed under his leadership in consultation with other international experts. The final version of the Guidelines was published in 2009. In 2008, the infection control programme of the University of Geneva Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine was designated as the first WHO Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety (Infection Control and Improving Practices) in Europe.

The "Geneva Hand Hygiene Model" was used as the basis for the recommended implementation strategy for the global promotion of hand hygiene. As of December 2011, "Clean Care is Safer Care" has been endorsed by ministers of health in over 120 countries worldwide―representing a coverage of more than 90% of the world population. Forty-two countries/networks have already started hand hygiene initiatives using the proposed strategy. Alcohol-based hand rub is promoted actively as the new standard of care, including in resource-poor countries. Pittet's team developed the "Five Moments" concept to explain to healthcare workers the critical moments when hand hygiene must be carried out and this model is currently used worldwide. Save Lives: Clean Your Hands is the Challenge's annual campaign with almost 15,000 hospitals registered from more than 150 countries at the end of December 2011.

Selected awards and honours

Selected videos

Publications

Scientific publications by theme
Top ten peer-reviewed publications

Pittet is author/co-author of approximately 500 publications, including 300 peer-reviewed publications and 50 chapters in authoritative medical textbooks.

Selected chapters
  • Pittet D, Harbarth S. The intensive care unit. In: Hospital Infections. Brachman PS and Bennett JV, eds, 5th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia; 2007.
  • Pittet D, Allegranzi B, Sax H. Hand hygiene. In: Hospital Infections. Brachman PS and Bennett JV, eds, 5th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia; 2007.
  • Allegranzi B, Longtin Y, Pittet D. Infection control in the healthcare setting. In: Control of Communicable Diseases Manual. Heymann DL (ed), 19th ed. American Public Health Association, Washington, DC, USA. 2008.
  • Sax H, Pittet D. Severe soft-tissue infections. In: Oh's Manual for Intensive Care Medicine. Bersten A, Sony N, Oh T, eds. 6th ed. Butterworth-Heinemann (Elsevier Ltd), London, UK, chap 63, pp 731–737, 2009.
  • Boyce J, Pittet D. Improving hand hygiene in healthcare settings. In: SHEA Practical Handbook for Healthcare Epidemiologists. 3rd ed. Lautenbach E, Woeltje F, Malani PN (eds). University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Infection prevention as a global priority
Infection and infection prevention in low- and middle-income economies
Noma, disease of poverty
Epidemiology, surveillance and international health
Hand hygiene in healthcare
Hand hygiene and Semmelweis
Hand hygiene
dynamics of hand colonisation
Hand hygiene
alcohol-based handrubs as the universal gold standard
Hand hygiene guidelines
Hand hygiene education
Patients as partners in care
Multimodal interventions to reduce infections
Nosocomial bloodstream infection
Catheter-associated infections
  • Widmer, A. F.; Pittet, D. (1992). "Optimal Duration of Therapy for Catheter-Related Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia". Clinical Infectious Diseases. 14 (6): 1259–60. doi:10.1093/clinids/14.6.1259. PMID 1623083.
  • Eggimann, P; Harbarth, S; Constantin, MN; Touveneau, S; Chevrolet, JC; Pittet, D (2000). "Impact of a prevention strategy targeted at vascular-access care on incidence of infections acquired in intensive care". The Lancet. 355 (9218): 1864–8. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02291-1. PMID 10866442. S2CID 35022749.
  • Eggimann, P; Hugonnet, S; Sax, H; Harbarth, S; Chevrolet, JC; Pittet, D (2005). "Long-term reduction of vascular access-associated bloodstream infection". Annals of Internal Medicine. 142 (10): 875–6. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-142-10-200505170-00025. PMID 15897546.
  • Zingg, W.; Sax, H.; Inan, C.; Cartier, V.; Diby, M.; Clergue, F.; Pittet, D.; Walder, B. (2009). "Hospital-wide surveillance of catheter-related bloodstream infection: From the expected to the unexpected". Journal of Hospital Infection. 73 (1): 41–6. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2009.05.015. PMID 19646788.
  • Perencevich, E. N.; Pittet, D. (2009). "Preventing Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections: Thinking Outside the Checklist". JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. 301 (12): 1285–7. doi:10.1001/jama.2009.420. PMID 19318658.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia
Infections in the critically ill
Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis, severe sepsis and their cascades
Infections due to Candida spp.
Epidemiology of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Paediatric infection control
Bone and foreign body infections

See also

References

  1. ↑ "HUG - Maladies infectieuses". maladiesinfectieuses.hug-ge.ch. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  2. ↑ "World Health Organization (WHO)". www.who.int. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  3. ↑ "WHO | The first Global Patient Safety Challenge". www.who.int. Archived from the original on 14 September 2006. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  4. ↑ "WHO | African Partnerships for Patient Safety". www.who.int. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  5. ↑ Rowland, Liv (27 June 2020). "The doctor who gave sanitiser free to the world". www.connexionfrance.com. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  6. ↑ "British Honorary Award Recipients 2007". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ↑ "Didier Pittet". www.emeis.com. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  8. ↑ "MS in Epidemiology - Academic Programs - Department of Epidemiology - College of Public Health - the University of Iowa". Archived from the original on 30 November 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  9. ↑ "University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics". Uihealthcare.org. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  10. ↑ Holly, Christina (17 September 2019). "Exclusive essay by Professor Didier Pittet: The right to hand hygiene". L&R Prevent and Protect. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  11. ↑ "Infectious Diseases & Immunity News" (PDF). Imperial.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  12. ↑ "medical college". Fudan.edu.cn. 27 July 2001. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  13. ↑ "Faculties, Schools & Departments - The Hong Kong Polytechnic University". Polyu.edu.hk. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  14. ↑ Roxan, Julia (19 March 2020). "Professor Didier Pittet is The Man Behind The Medical Industry's Most Essential Hand Hygiene Solution". LUXUO. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  15. ↑ Pittet, D; Dharan, S; Touveneau, S; Sauvan, V; Perneger, TV (1999). "Bacterial contamination of the hands of hospital staff during routine patient care". Archives of Internal Medicine. 159 (8): 821–6. doi:10.1001/archinte.159.8.821. PMID 10219927.
  16. ↑ Pittet, D; Mourouga, P; Perneger, TV (1999). "Compliance with handwashing in a teaching hospital. Infection Control Program". Annals of Internal Medicine. 130 (2): 126–30. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-130-2-199901190-00006. PMID 10068358. S2CID 53090712.
  17. 1 2 Pittet, D; Hugonnet, S; Harbarth, S; Mourouga, P; Sauvan, V; Touveneau, S; Perneger, TV (2000). "Effectiveness of a hospital-wide programme to improve compliance with hand hygiene. Infection Control Programme". The Lancet. 356 (9238): 1307–12. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02814-2. PMID 11073019. S2CID 18760147.
  18. ↑ Eggimann, P; Harbarth, S; Constantin, MN; Touveneau, S; Chevrolet, JC; Pittet, D (2000). "Impact of a prevention strategy targeted at vascular-access care on incidence of infections acquired in intensive care". The Lancet. 355 (9218): 1864–8. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02291-1. PMID 10866442. S2CID 35022749.
  19. ↑ Stéphan, F; Sax, H; Wachsmuth, M; Hoffmeyer, P; Clergue, F; Pittet, D (2006). "Reduction of urinary tract infection and antibiotic use after surgery: A controlled, prospective, before-after intervention study". Clinical Infectious Diseases. 42 (11): 1544–51. doi:10.1086/503837. PMID 16652311.
  20. ↑ Pittet, D; Sax, H; Hugonnet, S; Harbarth, S (2004). "Cost implications of successful hand hygiene promotion". Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. 25 (3): 264–6. doi:10.1086/502389. PMID 15061421. S2CID 129267.
  21. ↑ Eggimann, P; Hugonnet, S; Sax, H; Harbarth, S; Chevrolet, JC; Pittet, D (2005). "Long-term reduction of vascular access-associated bloodstream infection". Annals of Internal Medicine. 142 (10): 875–6. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-142-10-200505170-00025. PMID 15897546.
  22. ↑ "WHO | Clean Care is Safer Care". Who.int. 1 December 2011. Archived from the original on 14 September 2006. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  23. ↑ Pittet, D; Donaldson, L (2005). "Clean Care is Safer Care: A worldwide priority". The Lancet. 366 (9493): 1246–7. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67506-X. PMC 7134620. PMID 16214584.
  24. ↑ "WHO | Launch of the Global Patient Safety Challenge: Clean Care is Safer Care". Who.int. 13 October 2005. Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  25. ↑ "WHO | Countries". Who.int. 5 October 2011. Archived from the original on 21 August 2004. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  26. ↑ "CDC - Guidelines - Hand Hygiene". Cdc.gov. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  27. ↑ "WHO : Patient Safety: WHO Guidelines on hand Hygiene in Health Care" (PDF). Whqlibdoc.who.int. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  28. ↑ "Didier Pittet Heads Up Clean Hospitals Network Launch - ECJ". www.europeancleaningjournal.com. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  29. ↑ "Save Lives: Clean Your Hands" (PDF). Whqlibdoc.who.int. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  30. ↑ "WHO | WHO CleanHandsNet - a network of campaigning countries". Who.int. 20 July 2011. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  31. ↑ Allegranzi, B; Sax, H; Bengaly, L; Richet, H; Minta, DK; Chraiti, MN; Sokona, FM; Gayet-Ageron, A; et al. (2010). "Successful implementation of the World Health Organization hand hygiene improvement strategy in a referral hospital in Mali, Africa". Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. 31 (2): 133–41. doi:10.1086/649796. PMID 20017633. S2CID 24443644.
  32. ↑ Nthumba, PM; Stepita-Poenaru, E; Poenaru, D; Bird, P; Allegranzi, B; Pittet, D; Harbarth, S (2010). "Cluster-randomized, crossover trial of the efficacy of plain soap and water versus alcohol-based rub for surgical hand preparation in a rural hospital in Kenya". The British Journal of Surgery. 97 (11): 1621–8. doi:10.1002/bjs.7213. PMID 20878941. S2CID 1738617.
  33. ↑ Sax, H; Allegranzi, B; Uçkay, I; Larson, E; Boyce, J; Pittet, D (2007). "'My five moments for hand hygiene': A user-centred design approach to understand, train, monitor and report hand hygiene". The Journal of Hospital Infection. 67 (1): 9–21. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2007.06.004. PMID 17719685.
  34. ↑ Pittet, Didier (2024). "Le devoir de mémoire: Professor Didier Pittet's reflections on an international career defying boundaries and expectations". Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology. 4 (1) e38. doi:10.1017/ash.2023.508. ISSN 2732-494X. PMC 10964183. PMID 38533236.
  35. ↑ "DGKH: Sponsors of Research Prize" (PDF). Dgkh.de. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  36. ↑ Ayliffe, G.A.J. (2007). "Professor Edward Joseph Lister Lowbury". Journal of Hospital Infection. 67 (3): 299–300. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2007.09.004.
  37. ↑ Pittet, D. (2004). "The Lowbury lecture: Behaviour in infection control". Journal of Hospital Infection. 58 (1): 1–13. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2004.06.002. PMID 15350707.
  38. ↑ "British Honorary Awards". Foreign and Commonwealth Office. January 2007. Archived from the original on 28 March 2008.
  39. ↑ "Global scientific community meet in Europe to tackle infectious diseases" (PDF). Escmid.org. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  40. ↑ Search Results for author Pittet D on PubMed.

Bibliography