Hand hygiene. Patient and visitor information leaflet

Transcription

1 Hand hygiene Patient and visitor information leaflet Publication Date: March 2014 Review Date: March 2016 Become a member of our Trust. Have a say, make a difference.

2 This leaflet has been produced to give you information about hand hygiene. It explains the different ways to clean your hands and how, by simply washing your hands you can help to reduce infections in hospital, both for yourself and others. Hands are used every day for many different tasks and as a result of contact with other people, equipment or surroundings they can become contaminated with germs. Hands that are not properly cleaned can be responsible for the spread of a wide variety of germs, some of which could cause infection. Hands may look clean but invisible germs are always present. Cleaning the hands to remove these germs will help to prevent them being transferred to others. This means that effective hand hygiene plays a very important role in infection prevention and control and in reducing the risk of infection in health care settings. Types of hand hygiene Hand washing Hand washing with soap and water is the most common way of cleaning the hands and is the best way to get your hands clean if they are visibly dirty. It is important to wash your hands: if your hands are obviously dirty; before eating or handling food; after using the toilet; after changing a nappy; if you have diarrhoea and/or vomiting; if you are visiting a patient who is experiencing diarrhoea and/or vomiting; if you have any symptoms of coughs or flu viruses; if you are visiting a patient who has any symptoms of coughs or flu viruses. Hand sanitiser This is a quick, convenient and effective alternative to hand washing only if your hands are not visibly dirty. This is useful when soap and water for hand washing is not readily available. Facilities for washing hands and using a hand sanitiser are available on each ward or unit, please ask a member of staff for the location of the nearest hand washing facilities or hand sanitiser dispenser. When dealing with diarrhoea and vomiting illnesses, soap and water should always be used. In this case, the use of hand sanitiser is NOT recommended. Please make use of these facilities to reduce the risk of infectious germs being transferred around the ward on your hands.

3 Guidelines for hand hygiene Hand washing technique A good hand washing technique involves wetting the hands under warm running water before applying liquid soap. The hands should be rubbed together for seconds so that the soapy water comes into contact with all surfaces of each hand (see figure 1). It is important to wash under any rings and it is advisable to remove wristwatches and roll sleeves up before washing. Hands should be rinsed thoroughly and then dried with paper towels. Using a hand sanitiser Hands should not be visibly dirty. Enough solution should be used to completely cover all the surfaces of each hand. The hands should be rubbed together until the solution has dried on the hands (see figure 2). Moisturiser Using a non-perfumed hand moisturiser will protect your hands from any drying effects of hand cleansing. This is especially important when the weather is cold. Cleaning your hands is the single most important factor in helping to reduce healthcare associated infections. It is everyone s responsibility, staff, patients and visitors, to use appropriate hand hygiene in order to reduce the risk of contracting or spreading infection. Patients should not be afraid to ask staff if they have cleaned their hands before undertaking treatment or care. If you require any further information on hand hygiene please ask a member of staff.

4 Figure 1

5 Figure 2 Hand sanitiser technique for visibly clean hands

6 Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Compliments, comments, concerns or complaints: we want to hear from you. PALS and Complaints Department Humber NHS Foundation Trust Trust Headquarters Willerby Hill Beverley Road Willerby HU10 6ED PALS can be contacted on: Tel Complaints can be contacted on: Tel