Overview
Handwashing is an easy and simple way for healthcare providers to maintain a safe and healthy environment for both themselves and the patient. The following handwashing protocol should be used before and after patient contact.
Procedure
- Wet your hands with lukewarm or warm water.
- Dispense soap.
- Rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds, making sure to cover your fingers, fingertips, backs of hands, palms, and wrists.
- Rinse your hands
- Dry your hands with paper towels.
- Use a paper towel to turn off the faucet.
- Dispose of the paper towel in the trash.
- Hands can also be cleaned by rubbing all hand surfaces with a 70% alcohol hand sanitizer, which is effective at killing most germs and viruses.
NOTE: Do not use solutions with >90% alcohol content, as these are less effective in killing germs and viruses because of premature evaporation from the skin surface.
Handwashing is an easy and simple way for health care providers to ensure a safe and healthy environment for both the health care provider and the patient. The following steps should be followed before and after patient contact. Wet your hands with lukewarm water. Dispense soap. Then rub your hands together for 20 seconds, making sure to cover your fingers, fingertips, backs of hands, palms, and wrists. For proper handwashing, this step should take no less than 20 seconds.
When finished, rinse your hands with running water, and dry them with paper towels. Turn off the water, avoiding contact with the faucet by using a paper towel. Then dispose of the paper towel in the trash.
In addition, a 70% alcohol hand sanitizer can be used to rub all hand surfaces, which is effective at killing most germs and viruses. Do not use solutions with greater than 90% alcohol content as these are less effective due to premature evaporation from the skin's surface.
Disclosures
No conflicts of interest declared.
