Implementing a hand
hygiene program that's rooted in the four E's Engage
Educate, execute and evaluate is a great way to get your health care
facility on the path to continuous quality improvement.
In this second video of our four part series, we'll cover another essential
facet of an effective program educating your health care personnel.
When health care personnel clean their hands
the right way at the right time, they have a direct impact on the health
and well-being of those receiving their care.
It is important that health care personnel have training
so that they recognize times when hands should be clean
and that they always clean their hands thoroughly.
The hands of health care personnel should be free from redness,
cracking or wounds, and they should have short natural nails.
Fingernails should not extend beyond the fingertip.
Some health care personnel, like those that scrub
for surgical procedures, should not wear fingernail polish.
If Polish is permitted, it should not be chipped or flaking.
Hand should be cleaned
immediately before touching a patient,
before performing an aseptic task,
like inserting a catheter or handling invasive medical devices
before moving from work on a soiled body, say,
to a clean body sight on the same patient.
After touching a patient
or the patient's immediate environment
after contact with contaminated surfaces,
blood or other bodily fluids.
Immediately after glove removal.
Alcohol based hand sanitizer is preferred for hand
cleaning in most clinical situations.
Hands should be washed with soap and water whenever they are visibly soiled
before eating or helping someone eat and after using the restroom
or helping someone with toileting or changing a diaper.
To sanitize your hands, begin by dispensing
a palm full of sanitizer into your hands.
Make sure that you get enough to cover all surfaces of your hands.
To accomplish this, you might have to activate the dispenser more than once.
Your hands should stay wet with alcohol based hand
sanitizer for at least 15 seconds while you rub them.
Begin by rubbing your palms together, covering the front
and back and in between your fingers.
Make a rotating motion for each thumb.
Finally, rub the fingertips in the palms of each hand.
When washing your hands, be sure to use warm water.
Not hot water.
The method for hand-washing is very similar to hand sanitizer.
Begin by rubbing soap in your palms and cover the backs of your hands.
Make sure to scrub in between your fingers, your thumbs and your fingertips.
You should scrub your hands for a minimum of 15 seconds.
But the entire process may take up to a full minute.
Once clean, pat your hands dry with a disposable towel.
Avoid rubbing, which can irritate your skin.
Finally, use a disposable towel to turn off the water.
Some germs are hard to kill
with hand sanitizer and may also be hard to remove with hand-washing.
Gloves can reduce hand contamination,
but germs can hitch a ride on gloves so they should be changed during care.
When you complete a soiled task and move to a clean task.
Any item you touch while wearing used gloves may become contaminated.
Pay attention to how you remove your gloves
so that you don't contaminate your hands.
To remove your gloves, pinch the outside of the glove, near the wrist,
peel downwards, pulling the glove inside out
with your own gloved hand.
Slide your finger under the wrist of your remaining glove.
Peel downwards.
Turning the glove inside out.
Remember, the use of gloves does not replace the need to clean hands.
If gloves are worn while providing patient or resident care
and you do a task where you would normally clean your hands, then you should stop.
Remove your gloves and clean your hands.
Remove gloves carefully and always clean your hands immediately
after removing gloves
in the hands of health care personnel can be damaged
by excessive exposure to soap and water and by use of gloves.
Protect the skin on your hands
by using facility approved hand lotion before you start your day
after handwashing and after you clean your hands.
At the end of the day, make sure the skin on your hands is healthy
so that you can give the gift of health to those who receive your care.
For more information about hand hygiene,
watch the remaining videos in this four part series.
Or visit our website at cdc.gov/handhygiene.