Question

A nurse is assisting with teaching a newly licensed nurse about hand hygiene for surgical asepsis. Which of the following instructions should the nurse include?

1. Use hand sanitizer instead of soap and water.
2. Wash hands with soap and water for at least 15 seconds.
3. Skip hand hygiene if gloves are worn.
4. Rely on gloves instead of handwashing when possible.

Answer 1

The nurse should instruct that proper hand hygiene for surgical asepsis involves washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, never skipping hand hygiene even with the use of gloves, and not relying on gloves instead of handwashing.

Step-by-step explanation:

When teaching a newly licensed nurse about hand hygiene for surgical asepsis, it is critical to emphasize the importance of thorough handwashing as a key component of infection control in a surgical setting. The instructions should explain that standard hand hygiene practices for health care workers involve more rigorous procedures than those for the general public. These include:

• Using hand sanitizer is generally not sufficient for surgical asepsis; thorough handwashing with soap and water is required.
• The hands should be washed for a minimum of 20 seconds, not just 15 seconds, covering all surfaces including the thumbs, wrists, areas between the fingers, and under the fingernails, ideally with the assistance of a nail brush to remove debris.
• Hand hygiene should never be skipped even when gloves are worn; gloves are a supplement to, but not a substitute for, hand hygiene.
• Reliance on gloves instead of handwashing is not advisable; it is important to combine the use of gloves with effective handwashing practices.

Surgical scrubbing goes beyond these steps, necessitating scrubbing from the fingertips, extending to the hands and forearms, and up beyond the elbows as per the CDC's recommendations for health care professionals.