Hand Washing
Nursing school/intervention
August 3, 2011

To eliminate and prevent infection there are several precautions that one needs to follow no matter what your job is, in any healthcare facility. In order to prevent infection the following elements are important standard precaution factors; hand washing, gloves, masks, gowns, appropriate device handling and laundry. The standard precautions means that you must treat all patients as potentially infectious, which apply to all human blood, body fluids, secretions and excretions, non-intact skin and mucous membranes. The most effective, least expensive and simplest way to prevent the spread of infection is by washing your hands. A good reason to wash your hands is the growth and reproduction of bacteria. Bacteria reproduce by a process known as “binary fission.” Each cell of bacteria grows to its maximum size and then divides in the middle to form two new cells of bacteria. “The time required for this growth will take place amount to about 15 to 30 minutes. In only 8 hours, one bacteria cell can multiply to more than 3 billion cells in size, but more importantly, we aren't dealing with just one cell, there are many bacteria cells. Unclean hands alone can be responsible for 500 to 1000 bacteria’s.”(Infection Control Orientation) This is why so much emphasis is placed on good frequent hand washing.
Hand washing should be done after interacting with all patients whether or not gloves are worn. You should always wash your hands immediately to avoid transfer of microorganisms to other patients or environments. It may be necessary to wash hands between tasks and procedures on the same patients to prevent cross contamination of different body sites. When washing your hands the equipment you should use is antimicrobial or non-antimicrobial soap, paper towels, and oil free lotion. You should not allow your clothing to touch the sink during the wash to avoid contamination. You should also remove jewelry as that can also carry bacteria. It’s also importance to wash with warm water as it is less likely to open pores and remove oils from the skin.(Clinical Nursing Skills, Page 127) When washing your hands, you should wash thoroughly about 15 seconds. You should wash 1 inch above your wrist, underneath your fingernails and between your fingers as well.
When patients go home, family members of patients should bring their own liquid soap and disposable paper towels instead of using potentially contaminated soap and towels in the home.(Clinical Nursing Skills, Page 130) It is essential for relatives of patients to be aware of these factors in order to prevent infections. They need to understand how easily bacteria spreads and how short cuts from proper hand washing may jeopardize the patient’s well-being. Providing a brochure of how to properly wash hands can also assist for the patients care. By not providing the proper training to the patient’s relatives and the patient itself, can cause quicker contamination and possibly death.

Reference:
Lynn, Pamela. Clinical Nursing Skills, A Nursing Process Approach. Third Edition Pages 123-132
Infection Control Orientation