When should you perform hand hygiene during care?

When should you perform hand hygiene during care?

• A. Before and after each resident contact
• B. After a resident contact
• C. Before contact but not after
• D. Only when hands are visibly dirty

Answer: (A)

Hand hygiene is the most important measure to prevent infections in long-term care. Doing it before you touch a resident helps keep germs from moving from your hands to the resident, while doing it after you finish care removes germs that may have come from the resident or the surrounding environment. This approach protects both the resident and you, and it should be done for every interaction, regardless of whether gloves were used. Relying only on post-care hygiene leaves the resident exposed at the moment care begins, and washing only when hands look dirty misses many invisible pathogens that can spread. Therefore, the best practice is to perform hand hygiene before and after each resident contact. Use soap and water when hands are visibly dirty or when exposure to certain organisms is suspected; otherwise, alcohol-based hand sanitizer is typically appropriate.

Hand hygiene is the most important measure to prevent infections in long-term care. Doing it before you touch a resident helps keep germs from moving from your hands to the resident, while doing it after you finish care removes germs that may have come from the resident or the surrounding environment. This approach protects both the resident and you, and it should be done for every interaction, regardless of whether gloves were used. Relying only on post-care hygiene leaves the resident exposed at the moment care begins, and washing only when hands look dirty misses many invisible pathogens that can spread. Therefore, the best practice is to perform hand hygiene before and after each resident contact. Use soap and water when hands are visibly dirty or when exposure to certain organisms is suspected; otherwise, alcohol-based hand sanitizer is typically appropriate.