Hand Hygiene Assignment
Read the Hand washing article from the CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal and answer the following questions. This document is posted in the Read and Study section of this module.
When was this article published? (Hint: Check the bottom of the pages)
March-April 2001
In the DEFINITIONS Section
What are the two major groups of organisms?
1. Resident Flora – Normally reside on skin
2. Transient Flora – Contaminants
What is hand hygiene?
Hand hygiene “is the simplest most effective measure for preventing nosocomial infections”. It includes actions, such as hand washing and hand disinfection, that will reduce the amount of transient flora and remove dirt from the skin in order to prevent the spread of infection.
Hand washing can be done using non-medicated soap and water or soap that includes antiseptic. The latter is referred to as hygienic hand washing.
Hand disinfection refers to use of an antiseptic solution to clean hands, either medicated soap or alcohol.
Hand washing is preferred over hand disinfection in certain situations such as when they are visibly soiled or contaminated by C-Diff. It typically takes 20-30 seconds using certain steps in order to perform it correctly.
What is hand disinfection?
Hand disinfection is a form of hand hygiene that utilizes an antiseptic solution to clean hands. They not only reduce transient flora by mechanically removing them. Their antimicrobial properties also kill remaining microbes or reduce how quickly they can reproduce. Hand disinfectants are useful in situations when “microbiologically clean hands are required for extended periods”.
In the section Hand Hygiene Agents
What agent has excellent activity and the most rapid bactericidal action of all antiseptics?
Alcohol based cleansers have more rapid action than products containing other antiseptics such as; chlorhexidine gluconate or providone iodine.
Which alcohol is the most effective? N-propanol
Which alcohol is the least
When was this article published? (Hint: Check the bottom of the pages)
March-April 2001
In the DEFINITIONS Section
What are the two major groups of organisms?
1. Resident Flora – Normally reside on skin
2. Transient Flora – Contaminants
What is hand hygiene?
Hand hygiene “is the simplest most effective measure for preventing nosocomial infections”. It includes actions, such as hand washing and hand disinfection, that will reduce the amount of transient flora and remove dirt from the skin in order to prevent the spread of infection.
Hand washing can be done using non-medicated soap and water or soap that includes antiseptic. The latter is referred to as hygienic hand washing.
Hand disinfection refers to use of an antiseptic solution to clean hands, either medicated soap or alcohol.
Hand washing is preferred over hand disinfection in certain situations such as when they are visibly soiled or contaminated by C-Diff. It typically takes 20-30 seconds using certain steps in order to perform it correctly.
What is hand disinfection?
Hand disinfection is a form of hand hygiene that utilizes an antiseptic solution to clean hands. They not only reduce transient flora by mechanically removing them. Their antimicrobial properties also kill remaining microbes or reduce how quickly they can reproduce. Hand disinfectants are useful in situations when “microbiologically clean hands are required for extended periods”.
In the section Hand Hygiene Agents
What agent has excellent activity and the most rapid bactericidal action of all antiseptics?
Alcohol based cleansers have more rapid action than products containing other antiseptics such as; chlorhexidine gluconate or providone iodine.
Which alcohol is the most effective? N-propanol
Which alcohol is the least