MEDICAL HANDWASHING

HANDWASHING

Handwashing is the act of cleaning one’s hands with the use of any liquid with or without soap
for the purpose of removing dirt or microorganisms. It is the most effective measure in reducing the risk
of transmitting infectious diseases. Hand hygiene is defined by the World Health Organization as a
general term that applies to handwashing, antiseptic handwash, antiseptic hand rub or surgical hand
antisepsis.

Purposes

The purposes of hand hygiene are:

 Hand washing can prevent infection

 Avoid pathogenic microorganisms and to avoid transmitting them

PROCEDURE
1.Gather materials needed for the procedure.
 Soap (liquid or bar)
 Soap case if using bar soap
 Paper or cloth towels
 Hand lotion if desired
2.Assess the environment. Is the water clean? Is
soap available? Is there a clean towel to dry your
hands?
3.Assess hands for hangnails, cuts or breaks in the
skin, and areas that are heavily soiled.
4. Stand in front of the sink. Do not allow your
uniform to touch the sink during the washing
procedure.
5. Remove jewelryif present.
6. Turn on faucet and adjust force. If using hot and
cold faucet, regulate the temperature until the water
is warm.
7. Wet the hands and wrist area. Keeps hands lower
than elbows to allow water to flow towards
fingertips.
8. Use about 1 teaspoon liquid soap from dispenser
or 1 to 2 pumps of soap. If using bar soap, rinse
before use and lather hands thoroughly with bar
soap. Rinse bar and return to soap case.
9. With firm rubbing and circular motions:
 Rub hands palm to palm
 Right palm over left dorsum with
interlaced fingers and vice versa
 Palm to palm with fingers interlaced
 Backs of fingers to opposing palms with
fingers interlocked
 Rotational rubbing of each finger
 Rotational rubbing with clasped fingers of
right hand in left palm and vice versa
 Rub the knuckles, the wrists, and forearms
using circular motion. Wash up the
forearms at least as high as contamination
RATIONALE
1.To make sure that all equipment are within
reach to avoid time consumption.
2. To establish if facilities are adequate for
cleansing the hands.
3. Intact skin acts as barrier to incoming infection.
Breaks in the skin facilitate development of
infection and should receive extra attention during
cleaning.
4. The sink is considered contaminated. Uniforms
may carry microorganisms from place to place.
Water splash from the contaminated sink will
contaminate your uniform.
5. Removal of jewelry facilitates proper cleansing.
Microorganisms may accumulate in settings of
jewelry
6. Warm water is more comfortable and has fewer
tendencies to open pores and remove oils from the
skin. Hot water can damage the skin. Organisms
can lodge in roughened and broken areas of
happed skin.
7. Water should flow from the cleaner area toward
the more contaminated area. Hands are more
contaminated than forearms.
8. Enough soap should be used to lather the
palms, back of hands, fingers, and thumbs.Rinsing
soap removes the lather that may contain
microorganisms.
9. Friction caused by firm rubbing and circular
motions helps to loosen dirt and organisms that
can lodge between the fingers and skin crevices of
knuckles, on palms, and back of the hands, as well
as the wrist and forearm. Cleaning less
contaminated areas (forearms and wrists) after
hands are clean prevents spreading organisms
from the hands to the forearms and wrists.
 is likely to be present.
10. Continue this friction motion for 10-30
seconds.
11.Use fingernails of the other hands to clean under
fingernails.
12. Rinse hands under water by keeping fingers
pointing downward toward the drain.
.
13.Pat hands and wrist dry using clean paper towel.
14. Using a separate clean paper towel, turn off the
faucet.
15. Use lotion in hands if desired.
10. Length of hand washing is determined by
degree of contamination.
11. Organisms can lodged and remain under the
nails where they can grow and be spread to others.
12. Rinsing in this way allows the oil and debris
to be washed off the hands and down the drain.
13. Use a gentle action to prevent skin
irritation.Drying the skin well prevents chapping.
Dry hands first because they are the cleanest and
least contaminated area.
14. Turning the faucet off with a paper towel
protects the clean hands from contact with a soiled
surface.
15. Lotion helps keep the skin soft and prevent
chapping.