Hand Washing

Assessment:
Determine the need for hand washing.

Planning:
State the purpose and preparation for hand washing procedure and then check that nails are filed short, also check hands for breaks in the skin, such as hangnails or cuts. Remove all jewelry.

Implementation:
Stand in front of the sink, keeping hands and uniform away from sink surface. Turn on water and adjust the flow. Adjust the flow so that the water is warm. Hold the hands lower than the elbows so that the water flows from the arms to the fingertips. If soap is liquid; apply 2-4 ml ( 1 tsp.). If it is bar soap, rub it firmly between the hands to remove its outer layer. Lather hands and arms well. Wash hands and arms up to your elbow then drop bar soap without touching the sink or the soap dish. Thoroughly wash and rinse the hands. Use firm, rubbing and circular movements to wash the palm, back and wrist of each hand. Interlacing the fingers and thumbs cleans the interdigital spaces. Rinse the hands thoroughly starting from elbow and move down to the arms.

Wash hands for a minimum of 10 seconds. For a more thorough washing, extend the time for wetting, and rinsing. Turn off water flow using foot or knee pedals. Use clean, dry paper towel to turn off hand faucet. Avoid touching with hands. Thoroughly dry the hands from fingers to forearm by blotting paper towel on the skin. Apply lotion to the hands if the skin appears dry. Tidy the sink area and wipe excess water with a paper towel. Discard the paper towel in the appropriate container.

Evaluation:
Indications of Effective Hand Washing: Strict application of medical asepsis and Hand washing procedure performed at recommended time duration.