[MUSIC]. Handwashing. Hand hygiene is the easiest and most important way to prevent the spread of infection. Wash your hands before putting on gloves, and after removing them. Wash your hands before and after all patient contact, including contact with the patient's belongings. Ensure all materials needed are on hand at the sink. This includes soap, paper towels, and or a cotton towel. Wet your hands and wrists thoroughly under warm running water. Apply soap to your hands. Keep your hands and forearms lower than your elbows with your fingertips down. Your hands are dirtier that your forearms. If you allow water to run from your hands to arms, you will contaminate those areas. Rub your hands together and lather all surfaces of your wrists, fingers, and hands. Pay attention to knuckles and the sides of your fingers. Ensure all fingers are washed. Interlace your fingers and use a rubbing motion to ensure all surfaces of your hands and fingers are washed. [MUSIC] Clean your nail beds by rubbing them in the palm of your other hand. [MUSIC] Rinse all surfaces of your forearm, wrist, hand, and fingers ensuring that you keep your hands below your elbows and allow the water to rinse off, starting with forearms to wrists, down to fingers. [MUSIC] This prevents dirty water from your hands from running onto your forearms and contaminating those surfaces. Be sure not to touch the sink while washing your hands. Use a clean, dry paper towel, or clean cotton towel to dry your hands. Dry your hands starting with your fingers, and move up to your wrists, and then forearms. Dispose of the paper towel in a garbage can and without touching the garbage can or other surfaces. [MUSIC] With a clean and dry paper towel, turn off the faucet. Faucets are dirty, and you risk contaminating your hands if you use your hands and not a paper towel to turn off the faucet.
