From the Guidelines
You should wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, scrubbing all surfaces of the fingers, hands, and wrists, especially before eating or preparing food, after using the bathroom, after blowing your nose or coughing, after touching garbage, after handling pets or animal waste, before and after treating wounds or caring for someone who is sick, and after being in public places. When hands are not visibly soiled, an alcohol-based hand rub can also be used, containing at least 60% ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, and rubbed over all surfaces of the fingers, hands, and wrists until the sanitizer has dried, approximately 30 seconds 1. Key times to wash hands include:
- Before and after treating each patient
- Before donning gloves
- Immediately after removing gloves
- After barehanded touching of inanimate objects likely to be contaminated by blood, saliva, or respiratory secretions
- When hands are visibly soiled 1. Proper hand hygiene is crucial as it physically removes germs, dirt, and chemicals from your hands, and soap breaks down the outer membrane of many viruses and bacteria, effectively killing them, while the friction of rubbing hands together helps remove microbes 1. Regular hand washing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of infectious diseases like colds, flu, and gastrointestinal infections. It is also important to store liquid hand-care products in either disposable closed containers or closed containers that can be washed and dried before refilling, and not to add soap or lotion to a partially empty dispenser 1.
From the Research
Hand Washing
- Hand washing is an essential practice for preventing the spread of infections, including lower respiratory infections (LRIs) and nosocomial infections 2, 3, 4.
- The studies provided do not specifically address the question of when to wash your hands, but they emphasize the importance of hand hygiene in preventing the transmission of pathogens 5, 6.
- It can be inferred that hand washing should be performed regularly, especially after coming into contact with potentially infected individuals or contaminated surfaces, to reduce the risk of infection transmission.
Prevention of Infections
- Expanding access to healthcare services and vaccines, including those against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type B, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), can help mitigate the burden of LRIs 2.
- The use of antibiotics should be judicious and guided by evidence-based protocols to minimize the risk of antibiotic resistance 5, 3.
- Preventing nosocomial infections requires a multifaceted approach, including hand hygiene, proper use of personal protective equipment, and infection control protocols 3, 4.