Steps Of Hand Washing For Doctors And Healthcare Professionals

Germs are everywhere. You cannot see them but germs hang out on your hands 24/7. Most of the bacteria can make you sick and unhealthy. These germs can be a source of serious viral infection e.g. influenza. They can spread when coming into contact with nose, mouth, eyes or open wounds. They can be contagious that not only can harm your body but also become a cause of death of other people. There is a potential risk of transmission of micro-organism to patients. Infections caused by germs can be acquired from patients. You can avoid getting an infection simply by washing hands in a proper way. Washing hands with soap and water are the best way to reduce the number of microbes in most situations. If soap and clean water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands and decontaminate hands before having direct contact with patients, donning the sterile gloves and before dealing with invasive devices that do not require surgical procedures.

Using alcohol-based surgical hand scrubs:

When using alcohol-based surgical hand scrub product with persistent activity, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Before applying alcohol solution, prewashed hands and arms with antimicrobial soap. Dry your hands and forearms completely.

While washing hands with an alcohol-based surgical hand scrub, keep these steps in mind:

●Wet your hands with clean running water. Avoid touching any contaminated material.

●Apply soap and lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap.

●Consider four planes of your hands and rub the soap at each plane and do the same for the fingers.

●Don‘t forget to clean the tips of your fingers and under your nails.

● After rubbing soap on hands, apply soap on the forearms and arms as done previously.

●Now rinse your hands with clean running water in one direction. Avoid moving hands back and forth

After application of alcohol-based products as recommended and rinsed with water, allow hands and forearms to dry thoroughly before donning sterile gloves .surgical hand antisepsis using either an antimicrobial soap or an alcohol-based hand rub is suggested before donning sterile gloves when performing surgical procedures.

Precautions:

Avoid touching the faucet or tap, the surface of the sink and avoid picking the soap if slipped in the sink.

Dispose of the alcohol-based hand rub after use. Avoid reusing the soap. Moisturize your hands if needed. Avoid cuts and bruises.

Hand contamination may occur as a result of small and undetected holes in gloves and during glove removal. If gloves are not removed after examining patients there is a chance of transmission of micro-organism from one patient to another. Germs can transfer to a product from working surfaces, fixtures and types of equipment. Skin can b disinfected with cationic detergents such as cetrimide or chlorhexidine, usually formulated with 70% alcohol.

Indications for hand antisepsis:

When hands are visibly dirty or visibly soiled with blood or other body fluids, wash hands with either a non-antimicrobial or antimicrobial soap or water .If hands are not visibly soiled use an alcohol-based hand rub for routinely decontaminating hands .always wash hands and decontaminate hands before having direct contact with patients, donning sterile gloves, dealing with invasive devices that do not require a surgical procedure. Always wash hands after contact with patient’s intact skin (e.g. taking a pulse or measuring blood pressure, lifting a patient), after contact with body fluids or excretions, non-intact skin and wound dressing. Always wash your hands when you move from contaminated body site to a clean body site during patient care, after removing gloves, before eating and after using a restroom, wash hands with an antimicrobial soap and water or non-antimicrobial soap and water. Antimicrobial impregnated wipes (i.e. towelette) may be considered as an alternative to washing hands with non-antimicrobial soap and water. But these are not affected as alcohol-based hand rubs or washing hands with an antimicrobial soap and water for reducing bacterial count on hands. if exposure to Bacillus anthracis( suspected or proven), then wash hands with non-antimicrobial soap and water or with antimicrobial soap.

Using soap and water:

Follow these instructions during washing hands with soap and water in daily routine;

●Wet your hands with clean running water. Avoid touching any contaminated material.

●Apply soap and lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap.

●Clean your palm of both hands as well as your all fingers by rubbing them together.

● Now clean back of your hands and base of thumbs.

●By interlocking your fingers of both hands together, clean back of the fingers. Do not forget to clean your fingernails and wrist of both hands. At the end rinse your hands and let them dry.

While selecting soap to read the instructions carefully and check for any irritating ingredient, fragrance and skin tolerance of the product.

Using hand sanitizers:

The best way of reducing the number of germs is washing hands by soap and water but if they are not available at a time then use alcohol-based hand sanitizers that contain at least 60% alcohol.

Take a required amount of sanitizer in your palm and rub to your hands covering the whole area. Read the label to take an accurate amount.

Hand sanitizers are not effective on all types of bacteria like Cryptosporidium norovirus and when hands are visibly dirty.

Doctors should apply these techniques in their daily routine and also instruct their patients to wash their hands in the right way in order to prevent spreading of infection.

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