Fighting Germs: Medical and Surgical Hand Washing
Health care professionals tried their best to prevent transmission of germs from one patient to another. Today, there are a lot of methods on how to prevent cross contaminations. This is through hand washing. This procedure is simple and is commonly applied within our household. Hand washing is one of the most important interventions to combat germs. There are different types of hand washing and these are commonly practiced in all health care institutions (hospitals, diagnostic laboratory, and clinics). These are the medical hand washing and the surgical hand washing. These two types of hand washing are performed differently, and it also has different purpose and rationales.
What is medical hand washing? This is the process of cleansing the hands before and after administering medication and performing medical care to patients. A clean water and soap are the necessary things needed to perform the procedure. The application of clean water alone is not enough to kill the germs on our hands. Make sure that the soap you used has the capability of killing microorganism. Because there are some soap that has a less antimicrobial power but has a good scent. Before performing the procedure, make sure that the water is on the right temperature. Do not use water that is in extreme temperatures. The average time in doing medical hand washing is about 15 to 20 seconds. Always remember that medical hand washing is not the appropriate method to be used before a surgical procedure.
Medical hand washing is performed to limit the germ count on our hands. It does not totally eliminate every microorganism on our palms. Today we can see that health care workers are practicing the modified medical hand washing method. This is by using a hand sanitizer. This can only be done by a matter of seconds. This is by simply applying the solution on the palms with continuous rubbing. An alcohol solution can also be used as an alternative for medical hand washing. After a long time of using the medical hand washing, health care people tend to modify it through their own style not knowing that they are doing it in the wrong way.
What is the ideal way of doing this method of hand washing? First, you need to grab a piece of paper towels. This is used as a lining to open the faucet. Next is to check the temperature of the water. Make sure that it is warm. Rinse your hands from the palm going up. Next, you need to apply soap solution and rub it for about 10 times. Rinse your hands properly starting from the palm then going up. Grab a clean towel for you to dry your hands.
On the other hand, we have the surgical hand washing. This is performed a lot different than the medical hand washing. This procedure is done only before a surgical procedure. This method is also known as the surgical scrubbing. To perform this procedure you need to have clean water, antiseptic soap, hand brush, and a hand drier (optional). Why do we need to do surgical hand washing before an operation? This is to eliminate debris and microorganism from palms, nails, arms, and forearms. It will also prevent the rapid growth of microorganisms. Before performing the operation make sure that all the surgical members are doing the hand scrubbing. What are the ideal steps for hand scrubbing? First, remove all jewelry. Second, rinse your hands with the running water. Remember to position your hands upward. Start rinsing from the palm down to your elbow. Apply antiseptic soap and rub your palm and arm. Make sure to clean the interdigit spaces and nails. Next, rinse your hands with the running water. Make sure to rinse it properly. If there is an available hand drier you may use it before entering the operating theater. After performing the hand scrubbing, always remember to, never contact unsterile fields. This will make you harbor microorganisms that will void you from sterility.
Hand washing is very important in our daily lives no matter which method you are using. This is because most diseases are transferred through hand contact. Always perform hand washing before and after ingesting foods. Oral route is the most common entry of pathogens. Remember that germs are everywhere and the best thing to combat them from entering our system is through hand washing.
