Question

A nurse has completed morning care for a client. There is no visible soiling on her hands. What type of technique is recommended by the CDC for hand hygiene?

A) Do not wash hands, apply clean gloves.
B) Wash hands with soap and water.
C) Clean hands with an alcohol-based handrub.
D) Wash hands with soap and water, follow with handrub.

Answer 1

Healthcare workers, including nurses, should use an alcohol-based handrub for hand hygiene when no visible soiling is present on the hands, following the CDC's recommendation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend specific hand hygiene practices for healthcare workers to prevent the spread of pathogens. Even if there is no visible soiling on the hands, it is essential for a nurse to clean their hands after completing patient care.

The recommended technique, in this case, would be C) Clean hands with an alcohol-based handrub, assuming that the hands are not visibly soiled or the nurse has not been in contact with spore-forming organisms, like Clostridium difficile, in which case soap and water would be necessary. Alcohol-based handrub is considered an effective method for decontaminating hands in most clinical situations.