Hand Hygiene for Healthcare Workers | Hand Washing Soap and Water Technique Nursing Skill

Summary

This video demonstrates proper hand hygiene techniques using soap and water, explaining when to choose this method over alcohol-based hand rubs. It emphasizes handwashing before and after patient care, after contact with body fluids, and in specific situations like exposure to infectious agents. The video provides a step-by-step guide on how to wash hands thoroughly, covering areas such as the palms, backs of hands, thumbs, fingers, and wrists. The process concludes with safe drying techniques to prevent contamination. Proper hygiene is crucial for infection prevention in healthcare settings.

Takeaways

• 👐 There are two main ways to perform hand hygiene: using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
• ⏰ Hand hygiene should be performed before and after patient care, after contact with body fluids, touching patient surroundings, removing gloves, before eating, and after using the restroom.
• 🧼 Soap and water should be used when hands are visibly dirty, after exposure to C. difficile, during norovirus outbreaks, and when handling anthrax or infectious diarrhea cases.
• 💧 Warm water is preferred, as hot water can dry and crack the skin, making it uncomfortable.
• 💍 Remove or avoid jewelry during patient care, as it can harbor germs. If a ring is worn, it should be washed along with the hands.
• 🌀 Scrub hands in circular motions for at least 20 seconds to remove germs effectively, covering palms, backs of hands, thumbs, and in between fingers.
• 💅 Pay special attention to fingernails and knuckles, where bacteria tend to hide.
• 🖐️ Scrub wrists and go about one inch above them while cleaning.
• 🚿 Rinse hands with water running downward from wrists to fingertips to avoid spreading germs up the arms.
• 📄 Dry hands by patting with a paper towel, and use a dry paper towel to turn off the faucet to avoid contamination.

Q & A

What are the two ways a nurse can perform hand hygiene?

A nurse can perform hand hygiene using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.

When should hand hygiene be performed according to the video?

Hand hygiene should be performed before and after patient care, after contact with body fluids, an open wound, or surfaces close to the patient, after removing gloves, before eating, and after using the bathroom.

When is it recommended to use soap and water instead of an alcohol-based hand rub?

Soap and water should be used when hands are visibly dirty, after exposure to Clostridium difficile (C. diff) or norovirus, during outbreaks, after exposure to Bacillus anthracis (anthrax), before eating, and after using the restroom.

Why is it important to avoid touching the inside of the sink while washing hands?

The inside of the sink is considered dirty and can cause contamination if touched, potentially undoing the hand hygiene process.

How much soap should be used when performing hand hygiene with soap and water?

About 1 teaspoon or 5 milliliters of soap should be used, which is often dispensed automatically.

What areas of the hands should be scrubbed during hand washing, and for how long?

The palms, backs of hands, thumbs, fingers (including around fingernails), knuckles, and wrists should be scrubbed using circular motions for 20 seconds.

Why is it important to scrub the hands using circular motions?

Circular motions help to effectively remove germs and bacteria from all areas of the hands, especially small crevices where germs may hide.

What should be done after rinsing the hands to ensure proper hygiene?

After rinsing, hands should be patted dry with a paper towel to avoid damaging the skin, and a separate dry paper towel should be used to turn off the faucet to avoid recontamination.

Why shouldn't a wet paper towel be used to turn off the faucet?

A wet paper towel can allow germs from the faucet to transfer through the towel and recontaminate the hands.

Why is it recommended to avoid wearing jewelry during hand hygiene, and what should be done if a wedding band is worn?

Jewelry can harbor germs, and if a wedding band is worn, it should be kept on during hand hygiene to ensure it is cleaned along with the hands.

Outlines

00:00

🧼 Importance of Hand Hygiene in Healthcare

The speaker introduces the topic of hand hygiene, emphasizing its critical role in healthcare settings. There are two main methods: using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. Hand hygiene should be performed before and after patient care, after contact with bodily fluids, touching contaminated surfaces, before eating, and after bathroom use. The CDC advises using soap and water when hands are visibly dirty, after exposure to infections such as Clostridium difficile or anthrax, during diarrhea outbreaks, before eating, and after using the restroom.

05:05

💧 Step-by-Step Guide to Hand Hygiene with Soap and Water

The speaker demonstrates proper hand hygiene using soap and water. The necessary supplies include soap, paper towels, and warm water. Jewelry should ideally be removed, but if worn, it must be cleaned too. The water temperature should be warm to avoid skin irritation. Avoid touching the sink to prevent contamination. Wet your hands, apply about 1 teaspoon of soap, and scrub all parts of the hands using circular motions for at least 20 seconds. Special attention should be paid to the palms, backs of the hands, thumbs, knuckles, fingernails, and between fingers to ensure thorough cleaning.

🚿 Proper Rinsing and Drying Techniques

The speaker explains how to properly rinse and dry hands. After scrubbing, rinse hands under running water, keeping hands lower than the elbows. Use a clean paper towel to gently pat hands dry, as rubbing may damage the skin. Use another paper towel to turn off the faucet to avoid recontamination, and discard it afterward. Wet paper towels are not recommended for this task as they can transfer germs from the faucet to the hands. The video concludes with a reminder to follow these steps for effective hand hygiene and to subscribe for more informative content.

Keywords

💡Hand Hygiene

Hand hygiene refers to the practices aimed at keeping hands clean to prevent the spread of infections. In the video, it is discussed as a crucial practice for nurses, particularly before and after patient care. The video demonstrates two methods for performing hand hygiene: using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.

💡Soap and Water

This is one method of performing hand hygiene, especially when hands are visibly dirty or after exposure to specific pathogens like Clostridium difficile. The video emphasizes using soap and water in certain situations, such as after exposure to body fluids or during outbreaks of infectious diseases like norovirus.

💡Alcohol-based Hand Rub

An alternative to soap and water for hand hygiene, alcohol-based hand rubs are typically used when hands are not visibly dirty. The video contrasts this method with soap and water, explaining that alcohol rubs are quicker but less effective in certain situations, such as after contact with specific pathogens.

💡Clostridium difficile (C. diff)

Clostridium difficile is a bacteria that causes severe diarrhea and is highly resistant to alcohol-based hand rubs. The video highlights the need to use soap and water after exposure to C. diff to effectively remove the bacteria from hands.

💡Norovirus

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes gastroenteritis, leading to vomiting and diarrhea. During outbreaks of norovirus, the video advises using soap and water instead of alcohol-based hand rubs, as the virus may not be effectively removed by alcohol.

💡Fingernails

Fingernails are identified in the video as a common area where bacteria and germs can hide. During hand hygiene, special attention should be given to cleaning under the fingernails to ensure thorough removal of pathogens.

💡Faucet Hygiene

The video explains how to handle faucet hygiene, emphasizing the importance of not touching the faucet directly after washing hands. A clean paper towel should be used to turn off the faucet to avoid re-contaminating the hands.

💡Body Fluids

Body fluids are mentioned as a potential source of contamination. Nurses are instructed to perform hand hygiene after coming into contact with body fluids to prevent the spread of infections.

💡Jewelry

The video discusses the role of jewelry in harboring germs, recommending that jewelry, especially rings, should either not be worn during patient care or be thoroughly cleaned during hand hygiene to prevent contamination.

💡Paper Towels

Paper towels are used in the video for drying hands after washing and for turning off the faucet to avoid contact with germs. The correct use of paper towels ensures that the hands remain clean after hygiene practices.

Highlights

Introduction to hand hygiene methods: soap and water vs. alcohol-based hand rub.

Hand hygiene should be performed before and after patient care, after contact with body fluids or open wounds, and before eating or using the bathroom.

The CDC guidelines recommend using soap and water when hands are visibly dirty or after exposure to specific pathogens such as Clostridium difficile (C-diff) and Bacillus anthracis (anthrax).

Hand hygiene using soap and water is necessary during outbreaks of infectious diarrhea, norovirus, or if suspected exposure to C-diff or anthrax.

Proper handwashing technique: use warm water, avoid contamination by not letting clothes touch the sink, and wet hands before applying soap.

Avoid wearing jewelry during patient care as it can harbor germs; if wearing a wedding band, wash hands while keeping the ring on.

Use about 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) of soap, and some dispensers are automatic, providing the right amount.

Scrub hands using circular motions for 20 seconds, covering all parts of the hands, including palms, backs, thumbs, fingers, and knuckles.

Pay special attention to cleaning fingernails and between fingers where bacteria hide.

Rinse hands with water flowing downward from wrists to fingertips, keeping hands lower than elbows.

Dry hands by patting with a paper towel to avoid damaging the skin.

Use a dry paper towel to turn off the faucet to prevent recontamination from faucet germs.

Avoid using a wet paper towel to turn off the faucet as germs can transfer through the wet towel.

Summary of hand hygiene: proper technique ensures effective removal of germs and prevents infection transmission.

Video concludes with encouragement to subscribe to the channel for more educational videos.

Transcripts

hey everyone at CR thread sterner Sarang

calm and in this video I want to

demonstrate how to perform hand hygiene

by using soap and water there are two

ways a nurse can perform hand hygiene

one way is through using soap and water

and another way is through using an

alcohol-based hand rub so when do you

want to perform hand hygiene you would

always want to perform hand hygiene

before and after patient care after

coming into contact was like a body

fluid or an open womb or touching

something close to the patient like a

bedside table the hand railing on the

bed or after removing your gloves before

eating and after using the bathroom now

when would you use soap and water versus

the alcohol-based hand rubs

well according to CDC Gove's guidelines

you would use soap and water when your

hands are visibly dirty after known or

suspected exposure to Clostridium

difficile which is c-diff if your

facility is experiencing an outbreak or

higher endemic rates after known or

suspected exposure to patients with

infectious diarrhea during norovirus

outbreaks

if exposure to bacillus anthracis is

suspected or proven which is anthrax

before eating and after using a restroom

so now I'm going to demonstrate how to

perform hand hygiene using soap and

water so first you need your supplies of

course you need soap you need some paper

towels and you need running water

now faucets vary depending on where you

work some are automate oh you just have

to swipe your hand underneath the water

will come on or you use a petal or it

has little faucet handles that you have

to use to turn on and off now generally

it's best not to wear jewelry during

patient care because that jewelry can

Harbor germs in some areas in the

hospital like surgery for instance

actually prohibits a person from wearing

jewelry all together but usually on some

units you can wear like a simple wedding

band so if you do wear a wedding band

and you're wearing it during patient

care you need to keep that wedding band

on whenever you're performing hand

hygiene because you want to

clean it because underneath that ring it

can Harbor germs as well so first what

we're going to do is we're going to turn

on our water and we want our water to be

warm not too hot because if it's too hot

that can dry out the skin and that can

cause you to get cracks in your skin be

really uncomfortable for you so make

sure it's warm and you want to be

careful not to let your scrubs or

anything like that touch the inside of

the sink because it's very dirty and

you'll become contaminated so once your

water is warm you want to wet your wrist

and your hands and be sure you have your

hands lower than your elbows because we

don't want the germs that are already on

our dirty hands to travel up our arms

after you've wet your hands you want to

put the soap on your hands and you're

going to put about 1 teaspoon of soap

which equals about 5 milliliters and a

lot of soap dispensers are automative

and they give you the amount of soap you

need so we're gonna take that soap and

we're going to lather our hands and our

wrists with the soap now we want to

scrub and what we're gonna do is we're

going to scrub this up on our hands

using circular motions because this is

going to help remove those germs and the

things that are sticking to our hands

and we want to cover all the areas of

our hands especially those small

crevices because that's where bacteria

likes the high we're gonna do this for

20 seconds so first we're going to go

and scrub our palms of our hands notice

I'm doing a circular motion then we're

going to get the back of our hands and

do both using those circular motions

then we're going to do our thumbs and

we're going to do each finger

individually making sure we are getting

around the fingernail area as well and

then you want to get those knuckles so

really rub the knuckles up against your

opposite hand it's also going to get the

outside of that finger now

as well then we want to get in between

our fingers because again germs love to

hide in little crevices that are hard to

get to so we make sure we get that then

we're going to pay attention to our

fingernails and we're gonna take our

hand we're gonna go to the opposite hand

and we're gonna just get underneath the

fingernail right in there just scrape

around remove any germs that could be

underneath those fingernails then what

we're going to do is we're going to get

our wrists and go about one inch above

the wrists as well now we are ready to

rinse the soap off so we're just going

to put our hands underneath the water

and let the water go downward we don't

want it to go upward rinsing all of the

soap off from the wrists down to the

fingertips once you get them rinsed you

want to take your paper towel and you're

just going to Pat your hands dry you

don't want to scrub your hands with this

paper towel because that can damage that

top layer of skin and we're going to

discard this wet paper towel then we're

going to grab a dry paper towel and turn

off our faucet and being careful not to

touch the faucet with our clean hands

and then we're going to discard this as

well now we wouldn't have used our wet

paper towel to turn off the faucet

because the germs that are on the

outside of the faucet could have

transferred through that wet paper towel

and got onto our hands and undone the

job of what we just done with cleaning

our hands okay so that wraps up this

video on how to perform hand hygiene

using soap and water thank you so much

for watching and don't forget to

subscribe to our channel for more videos