Best in Practice Learning Hub - Hand Hygiene

Best in Practice Learning Hub - Hand Hygiene
Best in Practice Learning Hub
 
Home Guidelines Personal Protection Aerosol Management Reprocessing Water Management Disinfecting Surfaces Hand Hygiene Patient Communication

Care for your most precious instruments with proper hand hygiene – correct use of soap for cleansing, sanitizer for disinfection and lotion for skin nourishment. According to the CDC Guidelines hand hygiene substantially reduces potential pathogens on the hands and is considered the single most critical measure for reducing the risk of transmitting organisms to patients and health care professionals.1

Hand Washing

Hands should be washed when they are visibly soiled otherwise the use of an alcohol-based hand rub is preferable. Total handwashing time should not exceed one minute but should be at least 15 seconds.2

Hand Antisepsis

Alcohol-based hand rubs reliably kill or inactivate pathogens on the hands, provided that all areas of the hands are thoroughly covered by the product. It is essential that alcohol based hand antiseptics are only rubbed into dry hands or it might not be effective enough.

Lotion Application

Use lotion products when indicated or as needed to help restore moisture to dry, cracked, irritated hands while delivering nutrients to the skin.

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Hand Hygiene lotions

 

  1. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings — 2003. MMWR 2003;52(No. RR-17):[14].
  2. Boyce JM, Pittet D. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings: Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force. MMWR 2002;51:1-45