Medical Hand Washing

Purpose: To maintain hands free of visible soiling.

Steps

1. Gather the necessary supplies. Stand in front of the sink. Do not allow
your clothing to touch the sink during the washing procedure.
2. Remove jewellery, if possible, and secure in as safe place or allow plain
wedding band to remain in place.
3. Turn on water and adjust force. Regulate the temperature until the
water is warm. (optional)
4. Wet the hands and wrist area. Keep hands lower than elbows to allow
water to flow toward fingertips.
5. Use about 1 teaspoon liquid soap from dispenser or rinse bar of soap
and lather thoroughly. Cover all areas of hands with the soap product.
Rinse soap bar again and return to soap dish.
6. With firm rubbing and circular motions, wash the palms and backs of
the hands, each finger, the areas between the fingers, the knuckles,
wrists, and forearms. Wash at least 1 inch above area of
contamination. If hands are not visibly soiled, was to 1 inch above
wrist.
7. Continue this friction motion for at least 15 seconds.
8. Use fingernails of the opposite hand or a clean orangewood stick to
clean under fingertips.
9. Rinse thoroughly with water flowing towards fingertips.
10.Pat hands dry, beginning with the fingers and moving upward towards
forearms, with a paper/ hand towel and discard immediately. Use
another clean towel to turn off the faucet. Discard towel immediately
without touching other clean hand.

Source: RLE Manual 2008 Edition

Principles of Asepsis

1. Only sterile items are used within sterile fields. All articles used in an
operation have been sterilized previously.

2. Persons who are sterile touch only sterile items/ areas; persons who are not
sterile touch only unsterile items/ areas.

3. If in doubt about sterility of anything, consider it unsterile.

4. Nonsterile persons avoid reaching over a sterile field; sterile persons avoid
leaning over unsterile area.

5. Tables are sterile only at table levels.

6. Gowns are considered sterile only from waist to shoulder level in front, and
the sleeves.

7. The edge of anything that encloses sterile contents is unsterile.

8. Sterile persons keep well within sterile areas.

9. Nonsterile persons keep away from sterile areas.

10.Sterile field is created as close as possible to the time of use.

11.Sterile areas are continuously kept in view.

12.Destruction of integrity of microbial barriers results in contamination.

Moisture can cause contamination.

13.When microorganisms cannot be eliminated, they must be kept to an

irreducible minimum.