What basic facilities should be available for hand hygiene?

What basic facilities should be available for hand hygiene?

• A. An accessible sink with soap and clean towels, or approved sanitizer and handwashing supplies.
• B. Only a pair of disposable gloves.
• C. A hand dryer.
• D. No dedicated hand hygiene facilities are required.

Answer: (A)

Hand hygiene requires a means to clean and dry hands easily before and after client contact. An accessible sink with soap and a clean way to dry hands (towels or disposable paper towels) provides proper handwashing capabilities. If washing isn’t immediately available, an approved hand sanitizer and the necessary supplies should be on hand as an alternative. Having only disposable gloves isn’t sufficient by itself because gloves can fail if not used correctly and hands must be cleaned before putting gloves on and after removing them. A hand dryer doesn’t sanitize or clean hands. And saying no dedicated hand hygiene facilities are required ignores the fundamental need to decontaminate hands between clients.

Hand hygiene requires a means to clean and dry hands easily before and after client contact. An accessible sink with soap and a clean way to dry hands (towels or disposable paper towels) provides proper handwashing capabilities. If washing isn’t immediately available, an approved hand sanitizer and the necessary supplies should be on hand as an alternative.

Having only disposable gloves isn’t sufficient by itself because gloves can fail if not used correctly and hands must be cleaned before putting gloves on and after removing them. A hand dryer doesn’t sanitize or clean hands. And saying no dedicated hand hygiene facilities are required ignores the fundamental need to decontaminate hands between clients.