How do you sanitize your hands?

Specialties NICU

Published

What is your unit's procedure for hand hygiene?

For me, before entering a pod we use Avagard, one squirt for hands, one squirt for up to elbows.. inside the pods it's Purell prior to and after gloving. Handwashing if visibly soiled, of course. There is no 'scrubbing in' to work.

SteveNNP, MSN, NP

1 Article; 2,512 Posts

Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

No scrubbing in here. We use handwashing and Purell before and after patient contact.

Specializes in Level III NICU.

We do a 3-minute scrub up to elbows with chlorhexidine prior to the start of our shift, then hand-washing/alcohol foam between patient contact.

RN4Little1s

113 Posts

We do the 3 minute scrub with a scrub brush and soap in the sink. After that it's alcohol or soap in all the usual places. You can use alcohol unless your hands are visibly soiled.

NICURN29

188 Posts

Specializes in NICU.

We do either a scrub with chlorhexadine for three minutes to our elbows or a hand-washing following by Avagard to the hands and up to the elbows to scrub in to the unit. After that, we hand wash if visibly soiled or use Purell foam whenever it is needed (about eight million time per night, of course!)!

Specializes in NICU.

I do the avagard thing up to the elbows when I come in and then purell during the shift. Have to wonder how well that is working however when 4 out of 7 babies in the pod have gotten sepsis workups in the past week, with 2 of those coming back pos!! EEK

Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

3 minute scrub when entering the unit, Purell/soap during the shift. Purell when leaving the room. We also wipe down any charts that leave and come back to the room.

We haven't had any MRSA in a few months...cross fingers it stays that way! Only one line sepsis and that is on a kid that went out for OR and came back to our facility.

MegNeoNurse

241 Posts

Specializes in PICU, ICU, Transplant, Trauma, Surgical.

Beginning of shift it's a 2 minutes scrub up to elbows with scrub brush and hospital soap (sorry don't know what kind). Then it's the old Purell before and after patient contact, and soap and water when visibly soiled.

Preemienurse23

214 Posts

We do a 3min scrub in at the beginning of the shift with our soap. Then hand washing or the EVIL foam. We did have a gel until recently, but it went away (sniff..) Ironically our infection rate has sky rocketed lately. But it could also be due to the new people who were just recently released from orientation, or the lack of housekeepers who actually do there job... We need new soap and hand sanitizer.

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