infection control
Hand Hygiene
Hand hygiene with soap and water is the most basic infection-control skill and is part of nearly every other clinical procedure.
10 steps2 criticalLimit 2 minAlways tested
Steps
- 1Remove jewelry according to policy and push your sleeves above your wrists
- 2Turn on the water and adjust it to warm, not hot
- 3Wet your hands thoroughly, keeping hands and forearms lower than your elbows, and avoid touching the inside of the sink
- 4Critical stepApply a palm-sized amount of soap
- 5Lather and rub all surfaces for at least 20 seconds: palm to palm, backs of hands, between fingers, thumbs and fingertips, with fingertips pointing down
- 6Rub your wrists
- 7Critical stepClean under your fingernails with a disposable nail cleaner if applicable
- 8Rinse your hands with fingertips pointing down so water runs off the fingertips, and do not shake water from them
- 9Dry your hands thoroughly from fingers to wrists with a clean paper towel or air dryer
- 10Use a clean paper towel to turn off the water, then discard the towels
What graders are watching for
Tips
- Use soap and water when hands are visibly soiled, before eating, after using the restroom, and during outbreaks of C. difficile or norovirus; otherwise alcohol-based hand sanitizer is generally preferred in healthcare.
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizer for general use should contain at least 60 percent alcohol, and should be rubbed until your hands are dry.
- Perform hand hygiene immediately after removing gloves and after contact with blood or body fluids.
Common mistakes
- Not keeping hands lower than the elbows.
- Scrubbing for too short a time.
- Missing thumbs, fingertips and between the fingers.
- Touching the faucet or sink after washing.
Practice this skill
Practise the sequence in the app with critical-step highlighting and a rationale for each step.
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Sources and how we check them: How we verify.