Hand Hygiene for Patients in Healthcare
Your hands can spread germs.
- Hands contain beneficial bacteria that your body needs to stay healthy. Hands can also carry harmful germs that make you sick.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizer kills the most harmful germs that cause illness.
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizers kill the good and bad germs, but the good germs quickly come back on your hands.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizer does not create antimicrobial-resistant germs.
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizers kill germs quickly and in a different way than antibiotics.
- Using alcohol-based hand sanitizers to clean your hands does not cause antimicrobial resistance.
When patients and visitors should clean their hands
- Before preparing or eating food.
- Before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Before and after changing wound dressings or bandages.
- After using the restroom.
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- After touching hospital surfaces such as bed rails, bedside tables, doorknobs, remote controls, or the phone.
How to clean hands
With an alcohol-based hand sanitizer:
- Place the product on your hands and rub them together.
- Cover all surfaces until your hands feel dry.
- This should take around 20 seconds.
With soap and water:
- Wet your hands with warm water. Use liquid soap if possible. Apply a nickel- or quarter-sized amount of soap to your hands.
- Rub your hands together until the soap forms a lather, then rub all over the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and the area around and under your fingernails.
- Continue rubbing your hands for at least 15 seconds. Need a timer? Imagine singing the "Happy Birthday" song twice.
- Rinse your hands well under running water.
- Dry your hands using a paper towel if possible. Then use your paper towel to turn off the faucet and, if needed, open the door.