Hand Hygiene for CNAs
Clean hands are one of the most important parts of an infection control protocol. To ensure that your hands are always properly clean, you have to follow specific steps. This will help to protect you and your patients.
Why is hand hygiene important for CNAs?
Hand hygiene is critical for CNAs because it is the first step in infection control. When your hands are clean, this helps to prevent the transmission of disease. With proper hand washing, it is possible to remove both invisible and visible microorganisms on your hands that can cause disease if you transfer them to a patient or a coworker.
What is most important is that you wash your hands properly to ensure that these microorganisms are adequately removed. There are specific steps you need to take for this process.
The proper hand washing procedure for CNAs
There are several steps to follow in order to make sure that your hands are properly cleaned when you engage in hand washing. These include:
- Remove all jewelry from your wrists and hands, such as watches, rings and bracelets
- Turn on the water and make sure that it is warm, but not too hot so that you can use it comfortably
- Get your wrists and hands wet with the water
- Dispense the soap in a dime-sized amount
- Spend at least 20 seconds lathering the soap. It is often recommended that you sing “Happy Birthday” to ensure that you hit at least 20 seconds
- Make sure to firmly push your hands together when you are washing them
- Get the backs of your hands, your wrists, under your fingernails and between your fingers when you are washing
- Always keep your hands facing down during the process, especially when you are rinsing to get the microorganisms to slide off of your hands instead of traveling up your arm
- Rinse your hands and wrists thoroughly in running water
- Use a clean disposable towel to dry your hands from the wrist down
- Use the towel to turn off the water and then dispose of it
CNA Hand Washing Video
FAQ about hand hygiene
The general rule of thumb is to wash your hands after all patient interactions and prior and after all procedures. You should also wash your hands after you sneeze, use the restroom and eat. If you come into contact with anything soiled, you should also wash your hands.
Washing your hands for at least 20 seconds allows you ample time to get all of the areas of your hands. It also makes it possible for the soap to have enough contact to cleanse away invisible and visible germs and dirt.
Yes, your hands should always be wet prior to applying soap. This makes it possible to work up enough lather so that the germs and dirt get suspended in it, allowing you to wash them away.