1. HANDWASHING
FIGHT GERMS

2. Improving Your Hand Hygiene Practices
Important topics covered in this review
Why should we clean our hands?
Barriers to frequent hand washing
How do hands become contaminated?
Advantages of alcohol-based hand rubs
New Hand Hygiene Recommendation
Improving Your Hand Hygiene Practices

3. Why Is Adherence of Personnel to Recommended Hand washing So Poor?
Factors responsible for poor hand washing adherence rates include:
heavy workloads (too busy)
sinks are poorly located
skin irritation caused by frequent exposure to soap and water
hands don’t look dirty
Hand washing takes too long
Why Is Adherence of Personnel to Recommended Hand washing So Poor?

4. How Can We Overcome Problems Associated with Hand washing?
Washing hands frequently with soap and water is
inconvenient
time-consuming
often causes skin irritation and dryness
We need to make cleaning your hands faster, more convenient and less irritating
Experts now recommend that workers routinely clean their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub (a gel, rinse or foam)
How Can We Overcome Problems Associated with Hand washing?

5. Advantages of Cleaning Hands with Alcohol-Based Hand Rubs
When compared to soap and water hand washing, alcohol-based hand rubs have the following advantages:
take less time to use
can be made more accessible than sinks
cause less skin irritation and dryness
are more effective in reducing the number of bacteria on hands
making alcohol-based hand rubs readily available to personnel has led to improved hand hygiene practices
Advantages of Cleaning Hands with Alcohol-Based Hand Rubs

6. When Should You Use an Alcohol-Based Hand Rub?
If hands are not visibly soiled or contaminated with blood or body fluids, use an alcohol-based hand rub for routinely cleaning your hands
after having contact with body fluids, wounds or broken skin
after touching equipment or furniture
after removing gloves
When Should You Use an Alcohol-Based Hand Rub?

7. Here Are Some Tips on How to Use an Alcohol-Based Hand Rub
apply 1.5 to 3 ml of an alcohol gel or rinse to the palm of one hand, and rub hands together
cover all surfaces of your hands and fingers, including areas around/under fingernails
continue rubbing hands together until alcohol dries
if you applied a sufficient amount of alcohol hand rub, it should take at least seconds of rubbing before your hands feel dry
Here Are Some Tips on How to Use an Alcohol-Based Hand Rub

8. More Tips on How to Use an Alcohol-Based Hand Rub
If you feel a “build-up” of emollients on your hands after cleaning your hands 5 to 10 times with an alcohol-based hand rub, wash your hands with soap and water
If you clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub before putting on gloves, make sure the alcohol has dried completely before putting on gloves
More Tips on How to Use an Alcohol-Based Hand Rub