Hand Hygiene Flashcards
Most common mode of transmission of pathogens
is via the hands
Hand hygiene
Performing hand washing, antiseptic hand wash, alcohol-based hand rub, surgical hand hygiene/antisepsis
hand washing
Washing hands with plain soap and water
antiseptic handwash
Washing hands with water and soap or other detergents containing an antiseptic agent
alcohol-based hand rub/rinse/gel
“Gel in Gel out” Rubbing hands with an alcohol-containing preparation
Surgical hand hygiene/antisepsis
Hand washing or using an alcohol-based hand rub before operations by surgical personnel
When hands are visibly dirty, contaminated, or soiled
wash with non-antimicrobial or antimicrobial soap and water.
If hands are not visibly soiled
use an alcohol-based hand rub for routinely decontaminating hands.
hand rubs/rinse/gel
apply, rub REAL good, until DRY
hand washing
wet hands with water, apply soap, rub hands 15 sec, rinse, dry, turn water off with towel
surgical hand hygiene using alcohol based handrub
before applying gel, pre-wash hands and forearms with non-antimicrobial soap
Natural nail tips
kept to ¼ inch in length
Artificial nails
should not be worn when having direct contact with high-risk patients (e.g., ICU, OR)
Education/Motivation Programs
Encourage patients and their families to remind HCWs to practice hand hygiene
fact: 2 million patients get an infection in hospitals
90,000 of these patients die as a result
efficacy of hand hygiene
Plain soap is good at reducing bacterial counts but antimicrobial soap is better, and alcohol-based hand rubs are the best.
benefits of alcohol based hand rubs
require less time, act faster, and irritate hands less often.
Q: Alcohol-based products are effective for standard hand washing or hand antisepsis because
Alcohol-based rinses reduce bacterial counts more effectively than soap and water
Q: Soap and water for hand hygiene is recommended under these conditions
After using the bathroom, If exposure to Clostidium difficile is suspected, When hands are visibly dirty contaminated with blood or other body fluids
Q: The nurse notices a healthcare assistant coming out of one patient’s room after obtaining a blood pressure and entering immediately into another patient’s room without washing his hands. The nurse should
Remind the healthcare assistant to wash hands between every patient contact
Q: An effective intervention by a nurse to improve hand hygiene is to
Keep fingernails natural, trimmed to ¼ inch, and free of polish
Q: The nurse is confident that patient teaching regarding infection risk in the hospital is effective if the patient
Reminds the nurse to wash his hands before providing care
Q: Alcohol-based hand rub cannot be used for routinely decontaminating hands
When hands are visibly dirty or contaminated with blood or other body fluids
