Look at your hands. What do you see? What about the things you don’t see? Did you know that you carry millions of germs on your hands? Most are harmless, but you can pick up some that can cause illness such as colds, flu, diarrhea and other more harmful disease causing pathogens. When we forget to wash our hands or don’t wash them properly, we can spread these germs to other people or give them to ourselves. So, how likely are you to be caught “dirty handed”? You may be surprised.
Observations made by the CDC in public restrooms have revealed that only 68 percent of Americans wash their hands before leaving. Adults and children must be aware of the importance of hand washing. Children who are taught to wash their hands show fewer incidents of childhood and adult illnesses. Hands have long been recognized as one of the most important carriers of microorganisms in the spread of disease in the home and hospital type setting. This is because of a lack of hand washing in between patients by the healthcare worker. If you are considering a career in the healthcare industry, always remember to wash your hands.
You will not only protect yourself, but your patients as well. Healthcare institutions have mandated standards for healthcare employees regarding hand washing, and the use of gloves to limit the spread of infections within a hospital setting. Staff and patients should be aware of these precautions and their use. A new term used in the healthcare setting today is “hand hygiene.” This promotes the importance of hand care; taking care of the skin, which is the first line of defense for germ warfare; hand washing; fingernail length, and glove use. So are you washing your hands the right way? Hand washing is a scientific process.
The Essay on The Importance of Hand Washing and Health
... major surgical wound in the clinical setting, hand washing is critical in preventing infection. Methicillin-resistant ... (Section I, CH 5): The hands of some healthcare workers become persistently colonized by pathogenic ... Cough Health Center: Prevent Colds with Hand Washing: For germs to spread from one person to ... when preparing food you wash your hands, and wash them often. Wash before, and after you ...
It consists of mechanical friction and rinsing to be effective. When washing hands, pay special attention to the thumbs and fingertips. These are the most frequently missed areas of your hands. The correct hand washing procedure is simple, and takes less than 20 seconds to complete.
These are the steps you will want to follow when you are washing your hands. First, Turn on the water. You will want to use lukewarm water not hot. Second, wet your hands up to your wrist. Next, apply about a small amount of soap to your hands and wrists while the water remains running. Rub your hands together to work up a suds.
Then rub the front and back of your hands, rub between your fingers, rub your wrist up to about 8 inches above your hand. This rubbing should continue for about 15 seconds. Hold your hands down lower than your elbows, but do not touch any part of the sink. Rinse your hands well under the running water without touching the sink and while keeping your fingers lower than your wrist. Finally, take a paper towel and dry your hands. Turn the water off with the paper towel, not your clean hands.
Then throw the paper towel away. When following this procedure to wash your hands, you can protect yourself, your patients, and your families from very dangerous germs and diseases. Hand washing may seem unimportant, but failing to do it can have serious consequences, even death in some instances. So the next time you look at your hands, think about what may be taking up residence there, and don’t get caught dirty-handed.
