Hand hygiene.pdf

dure is necessary only upon entering the operating theatre; repeating handrubbing without
prior handwash or scrub is recommended before switching to the next procedure.
11.5.1 TECHNIQUE FOR SURGICAL HAND PREPARATION USING ALCOHOL-BASED
HANDRUB
This simple procedure appears not to require training. However, expert opinion strongly
recommends training 385,422 . The hands should be wet from the alcoholic rub during the
whole procedure, requiring usually >6 ml. One study demonstrated that keeping the hands
wet with the rub is more important than the volume used 423 .
11.5.2 REQUIRED TIME FOR THE PROCEDURE
For many years, surgical staff commonly scrubbed their hands for 10 minutes pre-operatively,
which frequently led to skin damage. Several studies have demonstrated that scrubbing
for five minutes reduces bacterial counts as effectively as a 10-minute scrub 210,396,402 . In
other studies, scrubbing for two or three minutes reduced bacterial counts to acceptable
levels 302,304,345,350,397,398 . Very recently, even 90 seconds of rub have been shown to be
equivalent to a 3-minute rub with a product containing a mixture of alcohols and mecetronium
acetate 411 . Cumulative observational data are abundant for more than three minutes
of applying the alcohol-based solutions. Alcohol-based hand gels should not yet be used
unless they pass the test prEN 12791 or an equivalent standard required for solutions 389 .
Many of the currently available gels for hygienic handrub do not meet the European standard
EN 1500 140 . However, at least one gel on the market has been tested and introduced in
a hospital for hygienic and surgical handrub 424 .
11.6 STEPS FOR SURGICAL HAND PREPARATION
• Keep nails short and pay attention to them when washing your hands – most
microbes on hands come from beneath the fingernails.
• Do not wear artificial nails or nail polish.
• Remove all jewellery (rings, watches, bracelets) before entering the operating
room suite.
• Wash hands and arms up to elbows with a non-medicated soap before entering
the operating room area or if hands are visibly soiled.
• Clean subungual areas with a nail file. Nailbrushes should not be used as they
may damage the skin and encourage shedding of cells. Nailbrushes, if used, must
be sterile and used only once. Reusable autoclavable nail brushes are available
commercially.
• Start timing. Scrub each side of each finger, between the fingers, and the back and
front of the hand for two minutes.
• Proceed to scrub the arms, keeping the hand higher than the arm at all times.
This helps to avoid recontamination of the hands by water from the elbows and
prevents bacteria-laden soap and water from contaminating the hands.
• Wash each side of the arm from wrist to the elbow for one minute.