6.

Stand in front of
thesink, keeping
hands anduniform
away from
sink surface.7.

Turn on the water

andadjust the flow.

There are
fourcommon types
of faucet
controls:a)

Handoperatedhandles.b)
Knee levers.Move
these withthe knee
toregulate flow
andtemperature.c)

Foot pedals.Press
these withthe foot
toregulate flow
andtemperature.d)
Elbow
controls.Move
these withthe

elbow insteadof the

hands.8.
Adjust the flow so
thatthe water is
warm.9.
Hold the hands
lowerthan the

elbows so thatthe
water flows from
thearms to the
fingertips.10.
If soap is liquid;
apply2-4 ml ( 1
tsp.). If it isbar
soap, rub it firmly-

Avoiding reaching
into sink and
touching
edgeprevents
contamination.Uniform should
not touch the sink
to
avoidcontaminatio

n. Microbes thrive
in moisture
thusdampness can
contribute to
contamination of
theuniform.Be
careful not
to splash water into
uniform.

Splashingwater in
uniform may result
in contamination
asmoisture breeds
microorganisms.W
arm water removes
less of the
protective oil of
theskin and

removes
microorganisms
more
effectively.Hot
water opens skin
pores, can cause
dryness
andchapping of the
skin by removing

oils.Cold water
does not make
better soap subs
andineffective in
removing
microorganisms.Th
e water should run
from the least
contaminated tothe

most contaminated
area and the hands
are
morecontaminated
than the lower
arms. Running
waterrinses
organisms and dirt
into the sink.The

outside of the bar

soap has
microorganism.
Outerlayer should
be washed off first
before using.

between the hands

toremove its outer
layer.11.
Lather hands and
armswell.12.

Wash hands and

arms upto your
elbow then dropbar
soap
withouttouching
the sink or thesoap
dish.13.

Thoroughly wash
andrinse the hands.
Usefirm, rubbing
andcircular
movements towash
the palm, back
andwrist of each
hand.Interlacing
the fingersand

thumbs cleans
theinterdigital
spaces.14.
Rinse the
handsthoroughly
starting fromelbow
and move downto
the arms.

Wash hands for

aminimum of
10seconds.15.
For a more
thoroughwashing,
extend the timefor

wetting, and
rinsing.16.
Turn off water
flowusing foot or
kneepedals. Use
clean, drypaper
towel to turn
off hand faucet.

Avoidtouching
with hands.17.
Thoroughly dry
thehands from
fingers toforearm
by blottingpaper
towel on the
skin.Microorganis

ms are suspended
in the lather and
laterrinses off.Sink
and soap dish
harbors
microbes.Friction
caused by firm
rubbing and
circular

motionhelps loosen
dirt and
microorganism.Thi
s position prevents
microbes from
being rinse
off from the most
contaminated part
to the least.If the

hands is heavily
contaminated to
ensureaffectivity of
the removal of
pathogens.To
prevent the transfer
of microbes from
faucet toyour
hands.This

prevents the nurse

from picking
upmicroorganisms
from the faucet
handles.Contamina
tion is prevented
by drying from the
least tothe most
contaminated

areas.Drying the
skin well prevents
chapping.
Blottingrather than
rubbing helps
prevent skin
irritation.

18.
Apply lotion to
thehands if the skin
appearsdry.19.
Restart procedure
atstep#2 if your

handstouched the
sink
anytimebetween
steps 2-14.20.
Tidy the sink area
andwipe excess
water with apaper
towel.21.

Discard the paper

towelin the
appropriatecontain
er.Lotion can keep
the skin of the
hands and fingers
frombecoming dry
and cracked.If the

hands touched the

sink, then it
becomescontamina
ted, therefore it
requires one to
repeat thehand
washing
procedure.Moisture
allows

microorganism to
grow.Transfer of
microorganism is
prevented.EVALU
ATION:Indications
of effective
HandWashing.Strict application
of medicalasepsis.-

Hand washing
procedureperforme
d at
recommendedtime
duration.DOCUM
ENTATION:See
general guidelines
ondocumentation.