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Hand hygiene
For anyone who works with (vulnerable) people, good hand hygiene is extremely important. Not only for yourself, but also for the person you are going to touch or care for.
Research1 shows that only about 40% of people who work in healthcare practice hand hygiene correctly. Why is good hand hygiene so important? And how do you ensure that every healthcare professional performs hand hygiene in the right way?
Good hand hygiene saves lives!
It has been known for almost two centuries that soap and hand sanitizer kill bacteria and viruses. But did you also know that in healthcare, diseases and bacteria are most often transmitted through the hands of healthcare professionals? This often happens due to insufficient hand washing.
In Europe, it is precisely these pathogens, who are transmitted through the hands of healthcare providers, that provide 16 million extra days of hospital stays. It is estimated that 37,000 people die each year in Europe from diseases that are transmitted through the hands of a healthcare provider. This means that good hand hygiene can save lives and save healthcare costs.
Are you sure that you wash your hands correctly as a healthcare professional? Did you know that there are special guidelines for this? Follow the online 3D simulation course now and get your knowledge. This way you can be sure that you are not one of the 40% of people who do not practice proper hand hygiene!
Why is good hand cleaning so difficult?
Hand cleaning is of course not difficult at all compared to other actions in healthcare, but it is sometimes made difficult for us. For example, when there is no tap nearby, there is no soap or when the towels run out. Washing hands is then quickly skipped.
And then there is often the high workload, which causes it to fall by the wayside due to lack of time or so that we do not wash our hands correctly. And another reason why we sometimes find cleaning hands difficult is that some people get dry and/or irritated hands from all that hand disinfection and therefore prefer to skip it.
How should you wash your hands like a healthcare professional?
Washing your hands properly is not just a matter of water, soap and some time. It is also very important to use the right technique to clean your hands, fingers, nails and wrists properly. Did you know that there are no less than 5 steps to properly washing your hands? Only if you perform these 5 steps in the right order, you will perform good hand hygiene. Want to know what these 5 steps are and how to do them properly? Take the online 3D simulation course on hand hygiene now!
Convinced? Start now with CareUppen!
When should you use hand cleaning in healthcare?
Mastering the right technique for washing your hands is step 1. But step 2 is to wash your hands at the right times. Some examples of when you should apply hand hygiene:
- Before and after direct contact with a client
- Before and after performing an action on a client
- After touching the client’s immediate environment
- After direct contact with body fluids
- After cleaning
- After taking off protective equipment
- After contact with a pet
- Before and after preparing and administering food
- After using a (mobile) phone, tablet and/or computer
