Hopefully the handwash “splash and dash” has long gone…
Washing hands in the past was often a half-hearted affair, being thought of as a necessary evil rather than a real necessity. But now, in this coronavirus strewn world, effective hand washing is the new imperative. At the trick of stating the obvious, the “effective” part assumes that everyone is familiar with best practice.
“However, hand-washing effectively is not that easy” states Arefa Cassoobhoy, MD, MPH in a recent article on the WebMD website. Yet even in clinical and medical facilities “…clinicians clean their hands less than half the times they should” she states.
In an effort to encourage everyone to enjoy the best infection protection benefit afforded by good hand hygiene, Dr Cassoobhoy has identified the “…most common mistakes that may be sabotaging your hand-washing”.
When to wash is an obvious starting place and after coughing and sneezing, handling animals, before eating and preparing food and of course after going to the toilet are all listed.
Wash the whole of your hands
Don’t forget the back of your hands, between fingers – and under your nails the report advises: keeping nails short is a help.
And of course, the duration of the wash is important – the twenty seconds “happy birthday” twice is a much publicised theme at the moment – not forgetting to rinse thoroughly.
More soap please!
“People tend to wash more thoroughly when they use soap…. Lather up well to create friction that lifts the dirt, grease, and microbes.”
Any dry thoroughly – this is also very important. If you’re in a public place, go for the paper towels if they’re an option, rather than hot air hand dryers advises Dr Cassoobhoy.
6 Mistakes That Could Be Sabotaging Your Hand-Washing »
This MediWash mobile hand washing station provides complete step-by-step guidance for the washer
And the water comes on automatically – there’s no need to touch any taps.