Hand cleaning: The easiest way to protect against germs
HANDS POLLUTION AND POLLUTE
Our body is an extraordinary structure. Hands are one of the most popular parts of this extraordinary structure. Imagine for a moment that you have no hands. We see how our lives become infertile, and now we can't do much of what we do. It works non-stop all day long; we do wonderful things with our fingers. There is almost no place in our living space that we cannot touch.
However, there is a price for not leaving untouched space. I guess we don't know enough about this price: hands get dirty and dirty…
INVISIBLE POLLUTION
Some soils are easily recognized by their colors, odors and masses. But we may not be able to detect some easily. The most dangerous is the dirt which is not easily noticeable. Because they are microbes that can be detected only by microscope.
One of the most important problems of hospitals is the transmission of microbes from a current or old patient in the hospital to new residents. Therefore, these institutions work hard to deal with the problem.
But it is a great mistake to think that the threat is limited to the hospital. Diseases caused by microbes such as influenza, colds, diarrhea and jaundice are an integral part of daily life. Being sick may not push most people out of social life. There are many people called carriers who carry germs that can make others sick, even though he is not sick. Although the incubation period of microbial diseases is the period when the microbes are most infected, the person may not realize that they are sick because the symptoms do not appear yet. Also, unfortunately, not everyone cares equally about hygiene. Those who are involved in life after not enough cleaning or after mixing the nose; we share door handles, doorbells, handrails, taps, files, phones, money, and many other things used by those who shut their mouths with their palms while sneezing, shaking hands and exchanging germs without noticing.
More serious, each new contact carries the risks of all the predecessors. Everybody puts everyone, everybody, everything, everything puts everyone at risk.
POLLUTION IS NOT FATE
The invisibility of pollution does not mean that it cannot be prevented. It is highly possible for us to protect ourselves and others by freeing our hands from germs. As we care enough about hand hygiene, encouraging others to act responsibly will contribute to making the world surrounding us less risky every day.
WHEN SHOULD WE CLEAN OUR HANDS?
We can divide the germ threat into two: The first one is that the threat from others is high. In this case, we are at risk; and we put others at risk. The second is that, even if the threat from others is low, the threat to us or the person we care for is great.
The first, the higher the threat from others, the greater the likelihood of contact with bad microbes. Handshake with someone with a disease that can be transmitted by hand, that person's body secretions (feces, urine, blood, sweat, saliva, sputum…) or the tools (equipment, sheets, cover, phone, pots and pans, door handle, faucet…) contact, open wounding (dressing…), bullying, using the toilet, changing a baby or someone in need of care, contact with broken food or garbage, contact with uncooked foods (especially meat and eggs), contact with animals are the main high-risk situations. Spending too much time in common areas and contacting others or equipment in common areas is considered risky.
Secondly, even if the threat from others is low, we can give examples of how big the threat is for us or the person we care for, eating something, preparing food, and contacting the patient, especially for healthcare workers, or starting an intervention. In these cases, even a small number of microbes can cause greater damage.
In these two high-risk situations, it is necessary to clean the hands carefully. Apart from these situations, doing this cleaning periodically reduces our risk.
WHAT SHOULD WE CLEAN OUR HANDS?
There are two alternatives that we can use in daily practice, leaving aside special situations. These are water and soap and alcohol-based gel.
Water and soap are the most frequently used cleaning tools. It is very effective when done properly. It does not matter whether the soap is antibacterial or not. In a comprehensive scientific study in which many studies were evaluated together, antibacterial soap 41% and 50%, non-bacterial soap 39% and 51% were found to be effective in preventing gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases, respectively (1). In case of contamination with body fluids such as blood, urine, feces, slobber, sweat, visible visible contamination and after leaving the toilet, hands should be cleaned with water and soap, if possible, not with hand disinfectants. Another advantage of water and soap is that it can affect the resistant state of microbes, which we call “spores-, as well as the microbe we call clostridium difisil. Alcohol-based gels are known not to be effective.
Soap does not kill germs, surface tension, the germs to run away, because it is common and used after the mold is not passed through the water can carry germs; in particular, it should be noted that non-strainer soap containers may turn into germ nests. Because of such risks, it is appropriate to use liquid soaps instead of molds, especially in common areas.
We can say that alcohol-based gels are also highly effective and have increased their efficacy with appropriate concentrations in recent years. Alcohol-based gel has some advantages. It can be applied where access to water and / or soap is not easy. Provides the opportunity to be cleaned in a shorter period of time than water and soap when hands need to be cleaned frequently.
HOW TO CLEAN OUR HANDS?
A poster from the World Health Organization on how to wash hands may be useful. We have translated the poster into Turkish for you. Click here.
Before cleaning with water and soap, the hands are washed with water; then take the soap. The use of hot water is not recommended as it increases the risk of skin sensitization. The next thing to do is to bubble the soap thoroughly. If no foam is formed, the process is repeated until the foam is formed. As we have just said, foam is essential because soap does not kill germs but removes them by surface tension.
In alcohol-based gels, the manufacturer has adjusted to a single pumping (the ability to dry the gel for at least 15 seconds can be considered a measure of adequacy). The gel is squeezed into the palm.
The next procedure is to scrub each part of the hand, including the back, in water and soap or alcohol-based gel. This must be strictly observed. Studies have shown that the fingertips (and around the fingernail) may not be adequately cleaned with the thumb. Therefore, the rubbing of the thumb of one hand by grasping with the fingers of the other hand; The rituals of cleaning the fingertips by rubbing the palm of the other hand and rubbing the fingers between the two hands should not be neglected. The pictures in the link above can provide guidance.
It will be understood that whether soap or gel is sufficient to soak the palm, there is no point. Both the skin of the hand should be rubbed and the rubbing process should be continued for at least 15-20 seconds. As we said before, the gels should be scrubbed until the gel dries.
For cleaning with soap and water, after rinsing, rinse with clean running water. After rinsing, the tap must not be closed by hand - especially in public places to avoid re-polluting. It is best to use a photocell tap. If possible, hand dry thoroughly with disposable paper towels; the towel should be closed with the help of the finished towel - without touching it - and the towel should be discarded with the foot pedal. Towels open to everyone are risky.
We can say that long nails will make the shelter easier and make hand cleaning difficult. Un-worn nail polish-nail polish may not be a problem; but if worn, it may adversely affect cleanliness. The ring will also negatively affect cleanliness.
WHEN SHOULD WE USE GLOVES?
It may be useful to use gloves - in addition to compliance with the aforementioned hand hygiene rules - in case of contact with body fluids such as blood, feces, urine, contaminated body fluids, body cavities, and impaired skin, such as open wounds.
Gloves must be removed after each risky contact; The same gloves should not be used for two different persons or two different contamination areas in the same person.
As mentioned earlier, the use of gloves does not eliminate the need to clean the hand with water-soap or alcohol-based gel. Hand cleaning should be performed both before wearing gloves and after removing gloves.
HOW CAN HAND HYGIENE DISEASE PREVENT?
In our daily lives, we often encounter respiratory infections such as colds, flu in winter, food poisoning in summer and gastrointestinal infections such as diarrhea. Hand hygiene has a significant role in the protection of these two groups of diseases.
An evaluation of the results of 14 different studies on this subject, it was reported that handwashing reduced diarrhea attacks by 29% in institutions of good economies and 31% in societies of low and middle income countries (2).
Among the office workers in Greifswald, Germany, those who maintain their usual behaviors and who cleans their hands with alcohol-based hand disinfection at least 5 times a day, respectively 67.7-42.2%, high fever 24.6-11%, cough 53.8-34.4%, diarrhea% It was seen in the frequency of 12.3-1.6. It is observed that there is a decrease of around 60% in microbial diseases with great care to hand hygiene (3).
In Karachi, Pakistan, families with at least two children were randomly selected, provided that one of them was under 5 years old, and 600 families in 25 neighborhoods - once a week with educational visits - were given handwashing and 306 families in 11 neighborhoods were used as controls. Of the 600 families selected for hand washing, 300 used plain soap and 300 used antibacterial soap. Cough and respiratory distress under 15 years of age, redness and nasal discharge in eyes under 15 years of age, the frequency of pneumonia under 5 years of age, the first group with antibacterial, the second with plain soap, 50% and 51%, 51% and 54%, respectively 45% and 50% decreased. Decreases in blistering, crusting skin disorders called diarrhea and impetigo were 50% and 53% with 36% and 34%, respectively (4). In this study, it is seen that whether soap is antibacterial or not makes a big difference.
In another study evaluating 66 studies, it was reported that more than ten handwashes per day, 55% of surgical masks, 68% of surgical masks, 91% of N95 masks, 77% of surgical gowns, hand washing + mask + gloves + surgical gowns 91% protection (5).
HAND CLEANING AS A RESULT
Our hands, which we use all day long, get dirty and pollute. That's why our hands are the most popular means of transporting and transmitting germs.
If we don't want the germs to infect us and let us infect others, we must take care of hand hygiene.
At least we should wash our hands before preparing and eating food and after getting out of the toilet. But we can minimize our risk by being more meticulous.
We can clean our hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand gels. Both can provide effective protection.
It is not so important whether the soap is antibacterial or not. But it is more reliable to use liquid soap instead of mold soap.
Soap bubbling; It is important to rub the hand disinfectant until it is dry.
Both should ensure that the entire surface of the hands is adequately rubbed without being scrapped and the contact time should be at least 15-20 seconds.
The reward for attention to hand hygiene is to seriously reduce the chance of developing gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases.
46AXX
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