HAND HYGIENE

MANSOUR ABU-SALMASupreme Council of Health

Health Education Dept.

: تعالى الله قال) يؤمنون) أفال حي شئ كل الماء من وجعلنا

العظيم العلي الله صدق

Allah said:(and made every living thing

from water, will they not believe even then)?

What is the single most important reason for healthcare workers to practice good

hand hygiene?

1. To remove visible soiling from hands

2. To prevent transfer of bacteria from the home to the hospital

3. To prevent transfer of bacteria from the hospital to the home

4. To prevent infections that patients acquire in the hospital

What is the single most important reason for healthcare workers to practice good

hand hygiene?

1. To remove visible soiling from hands

2. To prevent transfer of bacteria from the home to the hospital

3. To prevent transfer of bacteria from the hospital to the home

4. To prevent infections that patients acquire in the hospital

How often do you clean your hands after touching a PATIENT’S INTACT

SKIN (for example, when measuring a pulse or blood

pressure)?

1. Always

2. Often

3. Sometimes

4. Never

How often do you clean your hands after touching a

PATIENT’S INTACT SKIN (for example, when measuring a pulse or blood pressure)?

2. Often

3. Sometimes

4. Never

1. Always

1. Plain soap and water

2. Antimicrobial soap and water

3. Alcohol-based handrub

Which hand hygiene method is best at killing bacteria?

Which hand hygiene method is best at killing bacteria?

1. Plain soap and water

2. Antimicrobial soap and water

3. Alcohol-based handrub

Which of the following hand hygiene agents is LEAST drying to your skin?

1. Plain soap and water

2. Antimicrobial soap and water

3. Alcohol-based hand rub

Which of the following hand hygiene agents is LEAST drying to your skin?

1. Plain soap and water

2. Antimicrobial soap and water

3. Alcohol-based hand rub

Dirty HANDS !!(see the germs in your hands)

fungus

Virus

Bacteria

Parasites

Can you imagine ?: Hand is the perfect germ

farm .

For Proper hand washing all that you need

If you could see the germs you’d wash your hands

Water

Soap

Towel

MIND

DO YOU KNOW

HOW TO WASH YOUR

HANDS????

Wet hands with running water

1

Lather well with soap (regular soap is just as good as antibacterial soap)

2

Scrub hands thoroughly (Rub vigorously ) Take at least 15 to 20

seconds. In Six Stages

3

Stage 1. Palm to palm Stage 2. Backs of handsStage 3. Between the fingers

Stage 4. Fingertips Stage 5. Thumbs and wrists Stage 6. Nails in the palm of the

hand

Step3/SIX stages

Rinse with running tap water.

4

Dry Hands with clean towel

5

Turn off the tap with the Towel

6

Throw away the Towel

7

So Why Hand Hygiene Is Very Important?

Most common mode of

transmission of pathogens is via hands!

Evidence of Relationship Between Hand Hygiene and Healthcare-

Associated Infections Substantial evidence that

hand hygiene reduces the incidence of infections

Historical study: Semmelweis

More recent studies: rates lower when antiseptic hand washing was performed

24

Does Hand washing Work?Semmelweis - 1847

Month Births Deaths % Mortality

April 312 57 18.3

May 294 36 12.2

June 268 6 2.4

July 250 3 1.2

25

Sir William Osler on Hand Washing

Soap, Water and Common sense, are still the best Antiseptics.

26

The “My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene” approach

27

Time constraint = Major Obstacle for Hand Hygiene

Adequate hand washing with water and soap requires 40–60 seconds

Average time usually adopted by health-care workers: <10 seconds

Alcohol-based hand rubbing: 20–30 seconds

28

Why Staff Don’t Wash their

Hands(Compliance estimated at less than 50%)

29

Why Not?

Skin irritationInaccessible hand washing facilities

Wearing glovesToo busyLack of appropriate staffBeing a physician

Improving Compliance with Hand Hygiene in Hospitals” Didier Pittet. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Vol. 21 No. 6 Page 381)

Time Spent Cleansing Hands:one nurse per one shift

Hand washing with soap and water: 56 minutes– Based on seven (60 second) hand

washing episodes per hour Alcohol-based handrub: 18 minutes

– Based on seven (20 second) handrub episodes per hour

~Alcohol-based handrubs reduce time needed for hand disinfection~

Voss A and Widmer AF, Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1997:18;205-208.

SummaryAlcohol-Based Handrub: What benefits do they provide?

• Require less time

• More effective for standard hand washing than soap

• More accessible than sinks

• Reduce bacterial counts on hands

• Improve skin condition

PREVENTIONIS PRIMARY!

Protect patients…protect healthcare personnel…

promote quality healthcare!