PROCEDURE RATIONALE

1. Gather materials needed for the procedure.

 Soap (liquid or bar) 1. To make sure that all equipment are within
 Soap case if using bar soap reach to avoid time consumption.
 Paper or cloth towels
 Hand lotion if desired
2. Assess the environment. Is the water clean? Is
2. To establish if facilities are adequate for
soap available? Is there a clean towel to dry your
cleansing the hands.
hands?
3. Intact skin acts as barrier to incoming infection.
3. Assess hands for hangnails, cuts or breaks in the Breaks in the skin facilitate development of
skin, and areas that are heavily soiled. infection and should receive extra attention during
cleaning.
4. The sink is considered contaminated. Uniforms
4. Stand in front of the sink. Do not allow your
may carry microorganisms from place to place.
uniform to touch the sink during the washing
Water splash from the contaminated sink will
procedure.
contaminate your uniform.
5. Removal of jewelry facilitates proper cleansing.
5. Remove jewelry if present.
Microorganisms may accumulate in settings of
jewelry
6. Warm water is more comfortable and has fewer
6. Turn on faucet and adjust force. If using hot and tendencies to open pores and remove oils from the
cold faucet, regulate the temperature until the water skin. Hot water can damage the skin. Organisms
is warm. can lodge in roughened and broken areas of
happed skin.
7. Wet the hands and wrist area. Keeps hands lower
7. Water should flow from the cleaner area toward
than elbows to allow water to flow towards
the more contaminated area. Hands are more
fingertips.
contaminated than forearms.
8. Use about 1 teaspoon liquid soap from dispenser
8. Enough soap should be used to lather the
or 1 to 2 pumps of soap. If using bar soap, rinse
palms, back of hands, fingers, and thumbs.Rinsing
before use and lather hands thoroughly with bar
soap removes the lather that may contain
soap. Rinse bar and return to soap case.
microorganisms.
9. With firm rubbing and circular motions:
 Rub hands palm to palm
 Right palm over left dorsum with
interlaced fingers and vice versa
9. Friction caused by firm rubbing and circular
 Palm to palm with fingers interlaced
motions helps to loosen dirt and organisms that
 Backs of fingers to opposing palms with
can lodge between the fingers and skin crevices of
fingers interlocked
knuckles, on palms, and back of the hands, as well
 Rotational rubbing of each finger as the wrist and forearm. Cleaning less
 Rotational rubbing with clasped fingers of contaminated areas (forearms and wrists) after
right hand in left palm and vice versa hands are clean prevents spreading organisms
 Rub the knuckles, the wrists, and forearms from the hands to the forearms and wrists.
using circular motion. Wash up the
forearms at least as high as contamination
is likely to be present.

10. Continue this friction motion for 10-30

10. Length of hand washing is determined by
seconds.
degree of contamination.
11. Use fingernails of the other hands to clean 11. Organisms can lodged and remain under the
under fingernails. nails where they can grow and be spread to others.
12. Rinse hands under water by keeping fingers
12. Rinsing in this way allows the oil and debris
pointing downward toward the drain.
to be washed off the hands and down the drain.
.
13. Use a gentle action to prevent skin irritation.
13. Pat hands and wrist dry using clean paper
Drying the skin well prevents chapping. Dry
towel.
hands first because they are the cleanest and least
contaminated area.
14. Turning the faucet off with a paper towel
14. Using a separate clean paper towel, turn off the
protects the clean hands from contact with a soiled
faucet.
surface.
15. Use lotion in hands if desired. 15. Lotion helps keep the skin soft and prevent
chapping.