Handwashing Procedure

The purpose of this post is to further your knowledge of asepsis, which is the freedom from disease-causing microorganisms. Asepsis is used to decrease the possibility of transferring microorganism from one place to another. The number one example of asepsis is handwashing. So today I'm going to teach you all how to properly wash your hands. This procedure comes straight from my nursing fundamentals book and lab, so it has to be right. Ok so here it is:

Things you will need:
- soap
- warm, running water (do not use hot water...it will dry out your hands)
- disposable or sanitized towels

Procedure:

1. Remove all jewelry
2. Turn on the water, and adjust the flow so that the water is warm
3. Wet the hands thoroughly by holding them under the running water, and apply soap to the hands.
* hold the hands lower than the elbows, so that the water flows from the arms to the fingertips.
4. Use firm, rubbing, and circular movements to wash the palm, back, and wrist of each hand. Interlace the fingers and thumbs, and move the hands back and forth. Continue this motion for 10-15 seconds. Also, rub the fingertips against the palm of the opposite hand.
5. Rinse the hands.
* make sure you don't touch the back of the sink or anything because then you have just contaminated your hands and technically should start all over.
6. Dry hands and arms thoroughly with a paper towel.
7. Discard the paper towel in the appropriate container
8. Use a new paper towel to turn off the water.

And that is how it's done!

Other things to keep in mind:
- NO FLICKING! yeah that's right, flicking the excess water off your hands is not allowed...i'm assuming this is b/c by flicking your wet hands around it makes them more susceptable to airborne pathogens.
- No leaning against the sink.
- When getting a new paper towel, use the elbow to pump it down.
- Fingertips and nails are often missed when washing the hands. You should try to keep your fingernails short because they will harbor bacteria/microorganisms.

Yep I think that's about it.
Have a good day and remember to wash your hands, because not washing your hands is rather gross.