Scientists Reveal How to Wash Your Hands

Lathering Hands with Soap/Rubbing/Rinsing – Not Effective Way of Cleaning

Lathering the hands with soap and rubbing them strongly for 20 seconds and then rinsing does not seem to be the most effective way of cleaning them. Experts now state that the six-step hand-hygiene technique suggested by the World Health Organization tends to be more superior to a challenging three step process. In a recent study, this practice seems to reduce the median bacterial count from 3.28 to 2.58, when compared to the three step system which only touched 2.88.

Researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland witnessed 42 physicians together with 78 nurses wash their hands with alcohol based hand rub after they had treated their patients. The six-step method was considered to be microbiologically much more effective in decreasing the median bacterial count, in comparison to the three step method. But utilising the six-step method needs 25% more time to complete.

According to Jacqui Reilly, PhD, lead author of the study as well as professor of infection prevention and control at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, stated that `one of the remarkable related results was that submission with the six-step technique was missing.

Alcohol-Based Hand Rub

Just 65% of the providers seemed to complete the hand hygiene process in spite of the participants having instructions on the technique before them and then having the technique observed. This permits further investigation for this precise technique and how the submission rates could be improved. Experts state that one should use soap only when the hands seem to be visibly dirty but should use alcohol-based hand rub when one does not know on looking at them.

To wash the hand well utilising the six-step method, one should start by wetting the hands with water and take either a dollop of soap or hand rub. Start by rubbing the palms together with the fingers closed and then together with the fingers interlaced. Moving your right palm over left dorsum with interlaced finger and vice versa, ensuring in actually rubbing in between the fingers. Thereafter interlock the fingers and rub the back of them by rubbing the back of them by turning the wrist in a half circle motion.

Lack Surveillance Systems in Monitoring

Then clasp the left thumb in the right palm and rub it in a rotational motion from the tip of the fingers towards the end of the thumb and then switch hands. Lastly scrub the inside of the right hand with the left fingers closed and then the other hand. Reilly has commented that hand hygiene has been regarded as the most important intervention in reducing the healthcare-associated infection thought there is restricted evidence on which of the technique seems to be more effective. He further added that the study has provided a foundation for effective best practices to implement on the frontlines of healthcare.

As per World Health Organization, health care-related infections attained in health-care location seem to be the most frequent adverse incident in health-care delivery all over the world and most of the countries tend to lack surveillance systems in monitoring the problem. Though there has been substantial development in fighting this issue, there still seems to be one in 25 hospitals with atleast one healthcare-related infection.