Hand Washing

CDC Guidelines
For
Effective Hand Washing
“hand washing is the single most
important procedure for preventing the
spread of infection”
 Effective Hand Washing
• Turn on the water (avoid using hot
water) and use a generous amount of soap
• Lather soap and scrub palms and backs of
hands for at least 15-20 seconds
• Be sure to wash wrists, in between fingers
and under fingernails
• Rinse soap off hands
• Dry hands thoroughly with paper towel or
forced warm air
• Turn off faucet with paper towel
 Wash Your Hands
• Before eating or preparing/serving food
• After using the bathroom
• After smoking
• After playing outside
• After handling pets
• Before and after touching someone who is sick
• Before and after performing invasive procedures
• Before and after wound care
• After handling garbage, dirty equipment, dirty utensils
• After removing gloves and between patient care and
before changing tasks
• After blowing your nose, sneezing, coughing, touching
your hair, face, clothing, eating
• After touching contaminated surfaces
Waterless Hand Cleaning
• When using an alcohol-based hand
rub, apply product (3-5 mL) to palm
of one hand and rub hands together,
covering all surfaces of hands and
fingers until hands are dry.
• If hands are visibly soiled, wash them
with soap and water first, dry them,
then apply waterless product as
described.
 Cleaning Agents
• Use regular soap, preferably from a pump dispenser. If bar
soaps are used, they should be small and kept in a drainage
rack. Antibacterial soap isn’t necessary and may contribute to
the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.
• Allergic contact dermatitis due to alcohol rubs is very
uncommon, but with increasing use of such products it is likely
that true allergic reactions will occasionally be encountered.
• Alcohol-based hand rubs take less time to use than traditional
hand washing.
• Antimicrobial-impregnated towelettes are not as effective as
washing with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand
rubs.
• Wash hands with non-antimicrobial soap and water or with
antimicrobial soap and water if exposure to Bacillus anthracis
is suspected or proven. The physical action of washing and
rinsing hands is recommended because alcohols,
chlorhexidine, iodophors and other antiseptic agents
have poor activity against spores.
Statistics for Hand Washing
Efficacy
• Nearly 22 million school days are lost annually due to
the common cold
• One study involving Detroit school children showed
that scheduled hand washing, at least 4 times a day,
can reduce gastrointestinal illness and related
absences by more than 50%
• 76 Million people get diarrhea and upset stomachs
from improper hand hygiene every year
• Diarrhea is second only to the common cold as a cause
of lost working time, with about 25 days lost from work
or school each year for every 100 Americans
• 325,000 people will be hospitalized as a result of
improper hand hygiene
• 5,000 unnecessary deaths are related to improper
hand hygiene
Incentives for Hand
Washing
 References
• Power Point presentation by Lydia Bartlett
• School Network for Absenteeism Prevention. (2003). Clean hand statistics.
Retrieved from http://www.itsasnap.org/snap/statistics.asp
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and
Immunization. (2004). Did you wash your hands? Retrieved October 5, 2005
from www.gov/handwashing
• Massachusetts Medical Society. (2001). Good health is in your hands. Retrieved
September 16, 2005 from www.massmed.org/
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1985). Guideline for handwashing
and hospital environmental control. Retrieved September 16, 2005 from
www.phppo.cdc.gov
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2002). Guideline for hand hygiene
in healthcare settings. Retrieved September 16, 2005 from www.cdc.gov
• Barrs, A. (n.d.). Handwashing: Breaking the chain of infection. Retrieved
October 6, 2005 from www.infectioncontroltoday.com
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health. (2002). Handwashing fact sheet-
English. Retrieved October 6, 2005 from www.mass.gov.dph/cdc/handwashing
• Centers for Disease Control. (2002). An ounce of prevention keeps the germs
away. Retrieved September 16, 2005 from
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/op/handwashing.htm
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health. (2004). Public health information
sheet: Hand hygiene. Retrieved October 6, 2005 from www.state.ma.us/dph