Hand Washing Steps for Nurses

Hand washing is the process of cleaning your hand.

Handwashing is also know as hand hygiene. It is a process of cleaning ones hand by soap, or similar substance.

It is done when own hand get affected with dust, viruses, bacteria and microorganism that present on our hand.

It is general procedure to decontaminate our hands.

Most commonly hand washing should be done in following cases,

• Before and after using toilet 
• Before eating 
• Before preparation of food 
• After defection 
• During menstrual hygiene 
• After coughing, sneezing 
• Touching to infected patient 
• Touching to infected area such as garbage, animal feed, waste substance 

There are 8 steps of hand washing,

• Wet your hand thoroughly by water

First step is to rinse hand with flow of water. It passively flow soil, dust present over hand. 

• Palm to palm rub the hands

During second step, hands of palm are rubbed with each other. 

• Palm to palm with finger interlaced on dorsum part of right and left hand

• With Finger interlace rub your palm

• Rubbing of thumb by respective thumb

• Cup of fingers

• Palms rub by fingers

• Rinse with water fully 

Last step is to rinse with water to remove and decontaminate hand.

After that dry your hands with single use of towel.

What is needed to do hand washing?

• Soap and detergent

Soap and detergent help to remove specific microorganism and bacteria from above surface of hand.

• Antibacterial soap

Antibacterial soap is used commonly in health concern. It contains antibacterial agents such as triclosan, which resist many bacteria. It is used to avoid common bacterial infection. They are also useful in maintaing body ph having properties of acetic acid and ascorboc acid.

• Warm water

Warm water is use to remove sticked soil, dust and mucroorganism with it.

Warm water drain out some other substances from the body.

While warm water helps only when proper scrubbing of hand occurs. Proper scrubbing results in loosening of oil and dirt from hand.

• Antiseptics

Antiseptics or hand sanitizer are referred as non water alcohol based hygiene agents. They are consist of 60 to 90 percentage of alcohol which on rub kill many bacteria.

Types

There are two type of hand washing, 

• Routine hand washing 

Routine hand washing is refer as general hand wash, home hand wash. It is performed to remove dirt and soil from hand.

• Antiseptic hand washing 

Antiseptic hand wash is use via medical practitioner. It involve use of antimicrobial agent or sanitizer to kill bacteria and microorganism. 

Indication of Hand Wash To HealthCare Professionals 

• Before giving care to patients

Before approaching the patient or before giving care to patient they should do hand washing 

• Before touching patient and come in contact with patient

Hand should be wash before touching patient or in contact with patient. It prevent transfer of bacteria of another patient.

• After fluid exposure with patient

After fluid exposure such as blood, saliva or mucous fluid, thorough hand washing is performed to remove infection on hand.

• Before the septic procedure

Every asceptic procedure requires medical and surgical hand washing. It is require to maintain asceptic nature and prevent infection.

• After contact with infected person 

Hand washing should perform after contact with tb, hiv and communicable infected person.

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