Infection Control Principles - the spread of infection

Infection Prevention Solutions

Equipment required for effective hand hygiene in home care settings

Many primary care interventions take place outside healthcare facilities e.g. in the patient’s own home. Resources available for hand decontamination will vary significantly and should not be relied upon. Providing staff with personal alcohol gel dispensers facilitates hand decontamination at the point of care or in other locations where there is limited / no access to a hand wash basin. For healthcare staff such as nurses, healthcare assistants and physiotherapists, working primarily in patients own homes, a range of hand decontamination equipment should be available in portable form e.g. pouches or small cases which hold dispensers of soap and alcohol gel together with disposable paper towels. These are widely available from medical suppliers.

Hand hygiene methods

To ensure all surfaces of the hands are adequately decontaminated, it is helpful to use a standardised technique. To wash all surfaces thoroughly, the entire process should take 40-60 seconds.

Some areas of the hands are more frequently missed than others during hand decontamination. It is important to pay attention to all areas of the hands, whilst washing, but paying particular attention to the finger tips and nail area. These are the areas most in contact with the service user and can be heavily contaminated with micro-organisms.

Application of alcohol-based hand rub

• If hands are soiled, wash with soap and water not ABHR

• Dispense a measured dose of the gel / rub into the palm of one hand

• Rub vigorously into all surfaces of the hand up to the wrist until the product has dried