Download STEM Hand Hygiene by Jed Rasmussen

Why Should I Wash My
Hands?
Hand Hygiene/Hand Washing is the
single most effective method to
reduce the risk of spreading germs.
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Anyone ever had diarrhea?
Vomitted
Strep throat?
Pink eye?
Acne?
Flu?
These diseases and more are spread by
bacteria.
How are bacteria spread?
Routes of Transmission of Disease
Spread through the air
Which three are involved with hand washing?
When to Wash Your Hands
Always wash your hands
:
• Preparing food or eating
• Treating wounds, giving medicine, or caring for a sick or injured person
• Inserting or removing contact lenses
Always wash your hands
:
• Preparing food, especially raw meat or poultry
• Using the toilet or changing a diaper
• Touching an animal or animal toys, leashes, or waste
• Blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing into your hands
• Treating wounds or caring for a sick or injured person
• Handling garbage, household or garden chemicals, or anything that could
be contaminated — such as a cleaning cloth or soiled shoes
• In addition, wash your hands whenever they look dirty.
Fun/Gross Fact:
58% of teenage girls and 48% of teenage boys wash their hands after using
the restroom
How long does it take to clean your hands?
Handwashing:
40-60 seconds
Alcohol-based
handrubbing:
20–30 seconds
You can do it –
you have the time!
Application time of hand hygiene and
reduction of bacterial contamination
Bacterial contamination (mean log 10 reduction)
0
Handrubbing is:
 more effective
 faster
 better tolerated
Handwashing
Handrubbing
1
2
3
4
5
6
0 15sec 30sec
1 min
2 min
3 min
4 min
Pittet and Boyce. Lancet Infectious Diseases 2001
How to handrub
To effectively reduce the
growth of germs on hands,
handrubbing must be
performed by following all of
the illustrated steps.
This takes only 20–30
seconds!
How to handwash
To effectively reduce the
growth of germs on hands,
handwashing
must last 40–60 secs
and should be performed by
following all of the illustrated
steps.
Hand washing
and hand
rubbing are the
single most
effective way to
stop the spread
of germs!