Solutions

Solutions powered by
Learn More.
Frame 586 (1)

Quality Manager formerly known as abaqis®

Mitigate risk and elevate your quality of care. Improving both clinical and business outcomes starts with a smarter, more integrated approach to regulatory training, continuing education and quality management.

Learn More

NEW TO THE STORE

hStream Content Marketplace

Connecting you to the Best Content. Access to 75 Partners and 35,000+ Courses in our Industry-Leading Marketplace. Streamline content purchasing, updates, hosting and connectivity for your organizational needs.

NurseGrid Learn

Online store for Clinical Learners. Individual CE Credit and industry products for Clinical Learners are now available through NurseGrid Learn (Beta). Explore our robust collection of courses that provides an unparalleled level of flexibility and choice.

DEA MATE Opioid and Substance Use for Practitioners

Meet the DEA's new requirement under the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act in an online and self-paced 8-hour DEA MATE Act course specifically designed for practitioners, including Physicians, PAs, NPs, Pharmacists, Dentists and others.

LATEST & POPULAR

BLOG

Join Us at Thrive24: The Ultimate HealthStream Credentialing User Group Conference!
BLOG

Gen Z Enters the Workforce: How Healthcare Can Adapt Training Programs for the Next Generation
BLOG

Telehealth: From Pandemic Tool to Preferred Option
On-Demand Webinar

State of the Industry: What’s Next for Healthcare Quality & Safety in 2024?
CUSTOMER STORY

Quantifiable results highlight switch to jane®
ARTICLE

10 Trends for 2024: Absorbing New Technology, Facing New Realities, and Solving Old Problems

< HealthStream Resources

01761262_cd_467706864

National Handwashing Awareness Week Brings Attention To A Core Infection-Prevention Protocol

April 1, 2021
April 1, 2021

“Wash your hands before dinner.”

It’s something most everyone heard growing up, and with good reason—clean hands are much less likely to spread germs and viruses to everything with which they come into contact. Hence, the importance of National Handwashing Awareness Week.

It’s hard to overstate that personal hygiene begins and ends with our hands. And not just before meals, but throughout the day, especially if we are ill ourselves or around sick people. If you’re in healthcare, especially in direct contact with patients, it’s imperative to maintain a strict hand-hygiene regimen.

Though it sounds complicated, it’s anything but. Here are some tips for getting hand cleanliness right:

Be thorough: Wash your hands with soap and clean water for at least 20 seconds. Get a good lather going and clean the back of the hands, between the fingers, and under the nails. Dry them using a clean towel.

Complete Five Steps: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls handwashing "a do-it-yourself vaccine" and suggests five easily remembered steps:

  • Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
  • Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
  • Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
  • Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
  • Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

Learn the Four Principles of Hand Awareness: These come by way of the American Medical Association and American Academy of Family Physicians, and include:

Wash your hands when they are dirty and before eating

  • Do not cough into hands
  • Do not sneeze into hands
  • Don't put your fingers in your eyes, nose, or mouth

It’s easy to think of handwashing as something that’s a good habit, but not all that important when compared to other illness-prevention measures. Easy, but wrong. According to the Centers for Disease Control, handwashing can prevent one in three diarrhea-related illnesses and one in five infections, including the flu. About 1.4 million children under age 5 die from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia—the two most deadly afflictions for children worldwide.

Handwashing supports overall health when done consistently.

Also, it’s safe to assume that if you’re not mindful of handwashing, neither are the people around you. And the stats back that up: The CDC also reports that only 31 percent of men and 65 percent of women washed their hands after using a public restroom. And consider this: A typical human sneeze exits the body at about 200 miles per hour and emits around 40,000 droplets into the air. So, do you want to shake the hand that just covered a sneeze?

No soap and water? Be prepared.

As a backup, keep some hand sanitizer nearby. It’s sold in small, portable dispensers, easy to slip into a purse or briefcase, or clip to a backpack. It should at least 60 percent alcohol. Still, keep in mind that sanitizers do not get rid of all types of germs, may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy, and might not remove harmful chemicals from hands like pesticides and heavy metals.