Unit 2 Lesson 4: Cleaning Saves Lives

Question 1

Infection transmitted during a hospital stay affects approximately

Answer 1

1 in 25 patients

Question 2

How many die a year due to an Infection transmitted during a hospital stay

Answer 2

with about 75,000 deaths per year caused by these infections in the United States alone.

Question 3

When should medical staff pratice hygeine

Answer 3

The times when medical staff should practice hygiene include before eating and after using the restroom, before having direct contact with a patient, after contact with intact patient skin (such as measuring a pulse or taking blood pressure), before putting on or after removing sterile gloves, after contact with objects and surfaces near the patient, after contact with non-intact skin or any bodily fluid, and when moving from a contaminated-body site to a clean-body site during patient care.

Question 4

There are two different ways to clean your hands:

Answer 4

sing soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

Question 5

You should use soap and water:

Answer 5

• When your hands are visibly dirty
• Before eating
• After using the restroom
• After known or suspected exposure to common hospital infections Clostridium difficile, norovirus, or Bacillus anthracis

Question 6

At all other times, medical workers should use an alcohol-based sanitizer.
Why should we use Hand sanitizers

Answer 6

Hand sanitizers have been shown to substantially reduce the population of pathogens on the hands when performed properly. Another reason to use hand sanitizers is that they cause less drying of the hands, and healthcare workers may need to decontaminate their hands up to 100 times in a 12-hour shift. Keeping the skin of your hands free from dryness and cracking maintains the integrity of your skin, keeping out pathogens. Sinks are often not close enough or as plentiful as they would need to be for all staff to wash at all the recommended times.

Question 7

How to wash hands

Answer 7

When using soap and water, you should first wet your hands with water. Then apply the amount of soap recommended by the manufacturer and rub hands vigorously together for a minimum of 15 second. Rinse hands with water, dry with a disposable towel, and turn off the faucet with the towel. Don’t use hot water as it can dry out your hands.

Question 8

How to use alcohol-based hand sanitizer

Answer 8

When using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, it’s also important to use the amount of product that the manufacturer recommends. Apply the sanitizer to the palm of one hand, then vigorously rub all surfaces of the hands and wrists for at least 15 seconds or until the hands are dry. Research has shown that the area of the hands most often missed when using sanitizers are between the fingers, the fingertips, and the thumbs, so take extra care to cover these areas too.

Question 9

Why should healthcare wokrers jkeep there ifngernails short

Answer 9

Healthcare workers should keep their fingernails short, as pathogens love to congregate under the nails.

Question 10

Surgical hand asepsis is more intensive than regular techniques.

Answer 10

First, remove all rings and watches, then remove debris from under the nails using a nail cleaner. Two to six minutes of vigorous hand and forearm rubbing using soap and water is required. Some facilities additionally use alcohol-based surgical scrub after washing hands. Then dry hands before donning sterile surgical gloves.