how to wash your hands

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Home Health.

We had to read a detailed memo about how our hands are covered with germs and on how to wash your hands...correctly. And I mean a detailed description on HOW to wash hands...wet hands first, apply soap, lather, rinse, etc. We then had to sign in to prove we had read it. Oh, come on, we are not 4 years old. If we didnt know this by now, then we shouldnt be there. I hate being treated like a child.

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We had to read a detailed memo about how our hands are covered with germs and on how to wash your hands...correctly. And I mean a detailed description on HOW to wash hands...wet hands first, apply soap, lather, rinse, etc. We then had to sign in to prove we had read it. Oh, come on, we are not 4 years old. If we didnt know this by now, then we shouldnt be there. I hate being treated like a child.

Yeah, what she said. :zzzzz

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Specializes in LTC/SNF, Psychiatric, Pharmaceutical.
We had to read a detailed memo about how our hands are covered with germs and on how to wash your hands...correctly. And I mean a detailed description on HOW to wash hands...wet hands first, apply soap, lather, rinse, etc. We then had to sign in to prove we had read it. Oh, come on, we are not 4 years old. If we didnt know this by now, then we shouldnt be there. I hate being treated like a child.

When I was in CNA training, we had a 2-hour session on handwashing. The instructor demonstrated first, then had us all perform. With everyone she would say, "So-and-so did an awesome job handwashing... but so-and-so is not perfect." What everyone did wrong was to use the same paper towel we dried our hands with to turn off the tap, instead of tossing it and getting a fresh one.

And again in nursing school, only they had one of those black-light setups that would cause bacteria colonies to fluoresce and you could see how dirty your hands were.

And at my job... hugely detailed instructions on handwashing posted in every restroom.

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I can see where the problem is, and why hospitals are not sucessfully implimenting their protocol to reduce spreading MRSA & other antibiotic resistant bacterial infections.

If nurses feel they are treated as 4 years old kid, they better grow up quickly. I have been observing these bacteria and taking a closer look at how they spread.

We must first make sure doctors and nurses follow the guidelines

strictly, religiously and very meticulously. This training is not to be taken lightly because your patients and your life depends on this.

The bacteria has bio-film which help them to cling firmly on the skin and has fast acting efflux pump to pump out any chemical (antiseptcs and antibacterial lotions, even alcohol).

This bacteria has already developed resistance to two new antibiotic and is getting better at this. In other word, you and I are likely to be jobless if the bacteria wins, so please think and don't be callous.

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I have been amazed at the money poured into leaflets, posters an campaigns run here in the UK educating nurses to wash their hands. The reason I am sooo amazed by this, is the fact that when I trained in the 1980's it was one of the first things we learnt in nursing school,and it was constantly reinforced throughout my 3 1/2 years training.

As a nurse manager I always took time to observe my staff handwashing, and had them rewash, if I did not think they did so correctly, or demonstrated correct hand washing, if the staff member did not seem to know how to do so.

Expereince of local hospitals demonstrates to me, that the importance of hand washing does not appear to be high.

Now we have national TV advertisments informing the public that infection is now due to them and they should be using the hand santizer every time they enter and leave the hospital. Although I do agree that vistors to hositals should use the sanitizer I would prefer that they wash their hands - which is what I do whenever I visit my mum. As I would also prefer that nurses wash their hands before and after touching my mum - who thanks to recent care in the local hospitals this year - now has MRSA osteomylitis!

During a recent visit - 2 hours x 2 a day x 3 days I did not observe ONE nurse wash their hands ( except when I reminded them that they should!

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Specializes in Infusion Nursing, Home Health Infusion.

New I am complete agreement with you. For the past 21 years I have been in every patient care area of our hospital providing IV care and I have seen some excellent nursing care with regards to infection control pratices as well as some horrid ones. We can not even get our nurses to faithfully scrub injection caps before medication administration as well as a total disregard for the IV system and CVC care. We are actively trying to fix the problem and this includes proper hand hygiene.

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Nice to hear how wonderful we all have been and how careful we were. In 1983, I woked as an SHO in SCBU, MRSA was very much in Paediatrics but HIV & Aids was becoming popular. MRSA was not taken seriously, I have seen nurses handling infected babies and went to feed another without washing hands. When I told them off, the consultant was called in to smack my wrist.

No one used gloves nor did they wash hands well enough. Some times the cannula or cathter would fall down on the ground. Nurses were happy to hand over these contaminated devices to be inserted in children.

We are facing the music, our generation created the bug and now our children will see the effect. Its time the Govt spent some money on educating they wasted billions cleaning the hospitals inspite of us writing to our PM (TB) telling him cleaning hospital is a waste of time, we need to clean our act. I would support any move to suspend nurses and doctors who do not follow strict gudelines.

I have spent half my life working in as a doctor in the hospital and am not in a mood to spend the other staying in as a patient, Thank you.

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I kinda lean toward "!!new!!"s standpoint (boy, that username looks weird quoted like that!).

Every time this comes up at our facility, everyone rolls their eyes, declares they KNOW how to wash, thanks, and that it's a huge waste of time and money in these educational campaigns. And then everyone trudges off to NOT wash their hands when leaving that donut-coffee meeting and walking into the patients' rooms! (they also didn't wash when LEAVING those patient rooms to GO TO the meeting where the food was out on platters).

I'm a germaphobe, admittedly. And I don't think healthcare as a whole does enough to warn about handwashing, since clearly we (as a whole, as a healthcare system) DON'T do a good enough job.

I really detest those "Ask Me If I've Washed My Hands" buttons, though....

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New I am complete agreement with you. For the past 21 years I have been in every patient care area of our hospital providing IV care and I have seen some excellent nursing care with regards to infection control pratices as well as some horrid ones. We can not even get our nurses to faithfully scrub injection caps before medication administration as well as a total disregard for the IV system and CVC care. We are actively trying to fix the problem and this includes proper hand hygiene.

Yep. The other day I pulled out an alcohol pad to swipe the HL IV port before doing a push med, and the patient asked what I was doing. Told him. And his response? "You're the first person to do that since I've been here". It was his third day on the unit.

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Specializes in psych. rehab nursing, float pool.

While you might feel like a four year old being instructed on the proper technique of hand washing. It is done for two reasons as I see it.

One for the benefit of the patients and ourselves to break one of the cycles of infection and their spread.

Secondly, if for whatever reason you are observed not washing your hands properly you have no excuse for it, and you can be disciplined as it can be construed as big time performance issue.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Tele, ER.

Sorry OP, but I have to disagree. I am a firm believer in reinforcing proper procedure, as well as a firm believer in real "back to the basics" nursing. I think a lot of people get so caught-up in the technology and scheduling and testing and treatments, that they forget the most essential ways to maintain the health of our patients. I think it is really important that we not close our minds to education which is being laid before us, it is almost always being presented for a reason. We are all familiar with the MD who will go in and out of patient rooms without washing their hands - now why is that? Because they have forgotten how to wash their hands, and they think they're above a lesson in it. :nurse:

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Home Health.

Well, I watched one doctor remove a dressing barehanded, push around on the incision, walk out of the room WITHOUT WASHING HANDS, and then go on to the next patient. I am a germophobe too, but I am unsure why we are the only ones being "taught" proper handwashing. I have always practiced mediculous handwashing, not only for my patients, but for myself. Rather than give detailed info on soap, water, etc. there needs to be more education on the actual germs and how they mutate, etc. for those who dont understand that aspect. Telling someone to use soap doesnt get their attention.

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