Final answer:
Before procedures that require touch, it's essential to perform proper hand hygiene to prevent infection. This involves thorough handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, paying close attention to commonly missed areas, and using a nail brush. Health-care workers must be especially diligent about handwashing before and after patient contact, and surgical scrubbing before invasive procedures.
Step-by-step explanation:
Before starting any procedures that require touch, especially in a health-care setting, it is paramount to ensure that hand hygiene is thoroughly observed. Proper hand washing is critical and is considered the most effective way to avoid infection by pathogens. Whether you are preparing food, engaging in clinical procedures, or simply interacting with patients, hand hygiene should be a priority to prevent the spread of infection.
Key Steps for Effective Hand Washing
- Begin by wetting your hands with warm running water.
- Apply liquid soap and lather for at least 20 seconds, covering all parts of the hands, especially commonly missed areas like the wrists, thumbs, between the fingers, and under the fingernails.
- Using a nail brush to clean fingernails is ideal for removing any trapped debris or microorganisms.
- Rinse thoroughly and use a disposable towel to dry your hands and to turn off the faucet.
In the context of the medical field, handwashing is even more significant for health-care workers who should wash their hands between every patient contact, after glove removal, after exposure to bodily fluids or potentially infectious fomites, and both before and after participating in invasive procedures. Surgical scrubbing, which is required before surgical procedures, is a more rigorous process aimed at significantly reducing skin microbiota to prevent post-operative infections.