How to Do Proper Medical Hand Washing
Hand washing is simply the best way to prevent organisms from spreading. It is the most effective procedure in eliminating nosocomial or hospital-acquired infections. Read on to learn how to do proper medical hand washing.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Understand that the sink is considered a contaminated area. So when standing in front of the sink, be careful not to let your uniform touch its surface.
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2
Remove any jewelry (except for wedding bands). Microorganisms are likely to accumulate on the areas where the jewelry is set. So removing it will help in easing up proper cleaning of the area.
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3
When turning the faucet on, make sure to adjust its force without splashing you. Water splashed from a contaminated sink will only transfer microorganisms on your uniform or directly on your skin.
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4
Wet your hands up to the wrist area. Keep you arms diagonal, with your hands lower than your elbows to allow the water to run down to your fingertips. The flow of water should be directed from a cleaner area to a more contaminated area. In this case, hands are more contaminated than the forearms. So let the water flow from the wrist down to the fingers.
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5
Lather your hands with bar soap, rinse the bar and place it back on the dish. By rinsing the bar with water, it will remove the foam that may contain microorganisms. If you are using liquid soap, pour an amount equivalent to 1 tsp. and then lather.
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6
Scrub your hands firmly and do it with circular motions. Friction caused from rubbing the hands together will loosen up the dirt and organisms present. Scrub the palms and back of your hands. Then proceed with each finger, the areas in between fingers, the knuckles, wrist area, up to the forearms. When doing the forearms, wash as high as the area where contaminants are likely to be present.
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7
Do the hand scrubbing and circular motions for 10 to 30 seconds. But if your hands are extremely dirty, then do these motions longer.
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8
Use a brush to clean surfaces under the fingernails or you can just use the fingernails of one hand to scrape the dirt off the fingernails of the other hand. Fingernails are likely the place for organisms to easily settle so it is important to clean these areas to prevent bacteria from spreading.
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9
Rinse thoroughly and closely examine your hands for remaining dirt or foam.
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10
Dry hands with towel immediately to avoid skin chapping. If your skin dries up from the type of soap used, apply lotion on the area to moisten it and to keep it soft.
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