Why should we wash our hands? The importance of hand hygiene with an antiseptic substance in healthcare settings and at home

Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading a wide range of dangerous pathogens. Many illnesses and conditions are spread through unwashed hands, with some of the most common including Salmonella, E. coli, and noroviruses. Regarding hand hygiene for healthcare personnel, although there is a much stronger inclination toward correct and repeated practices, special attention must be paid to washing and using products based on an antiseptic substance.

Table of Contents

1. Why is hand hygiene so important?
2. How do germs get on hands and why are they a danger?
3. What is the correct handwashing process?
4. What is the correct hand disinfection process?
5. Selecting hand hygiene products
6. Handwashing helps combat the rise of antibiotic resistance

1. Why is hand hygiene so important?

We carry millions of germs on our hands. Although some microorganisms are harmless, others can be dangerous. If hospital staff hands are not disinfected when caring for patients, pathogenic microbes can be transmitted very quickly. Therefore, strict hygiene is a very effective and inexpensive way to fight infections. And by avoiding infections, the use of antibiotics is less often necessary. Consequently, hand hygiene also contributes to the fight against antibiotic resistance.

2. How do germs get on hands and why are they a danger?

Organic matter is an important source of germs such as Salmonella, E. coli, and norovirus, which cause diarrhea and can spread some respiratory infections, such as adenovirus and hand, foot, and mouth disease. These types of germs can get on hands after people use the toilet or change a baby's diaper, but also in less obvious ways, such as after handling raw meat that has invisible amounts of animal feces.

A single gram of human feces—which is about the weight of a paperclip—can contain a trillion germs. When these microbes get on hands and are not removed using soap and water or an antiseptic substance, they can be transmitted from one person to another and can make people sick. (Source)

It should be noted that germs that cause infections are transmitted mainly through the hands. For this reason, washing with soap and water, using disinfectant wet wipes, but also special solutions when disinfecting hands is extremely important.

Certainly, in the healthcare environment, the use of gloves is recommended very often. This is because gloves provide good protection and reduce hand contamination to a minimum. But hand hygiene is still necessary, even with gloves. In addition, gloves must be removed (and replaced) at the right time, after which the application of a solution based on an antiseptic substance is required.

For correct hygiene, doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff (e.g., physiotherapists, medical assistants, and the rest of the staff) must meet several basic conditions:

• No jewelry, watches, or bracelets on hands and wrists/forearms;
• Clean and short-trimmed nails (no nail polish and no artificial nails);
• Short sleeves;
• Covering any wounds.

It is important for medical personnel to disinfect their hands with an hydroalcoholic solution at very specific moments to protect themselves, but above all to protect the patient. In addition, environmental hygiene is just as important, and the use of disinfectants is essential.

Handwashing prevents illness and the spread of infections

Washing hands with soap and water removes germs from the hands. However, it does not remove them completely. To disinfect hands correctly, a disinfectant is also needed. This helps prevent infections because:

• People frequently touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without realizing it. Germs can thus enter the body and make us sick.
• Pathogens from unwashed hands can get into food and drinks while people are preparing or consuming them, and microbes can multiply in certain types of environments, under certain conditions, and can lead to very unpleasant problems.
• Microorganisms from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, such as railings, tabletops, or toys, and then directly to another person's hands.

Furthermore, proper hand hygiene, whether we are referring to simple washing with soap, using disinfectant wet wipes, or using a solution based on an antiseptic substance, will have the capacity to:

• Reduce the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by 23-40%.
• Reduce diarrheal diseases in people with weakened immune systems by 58%.
• Reduce respiratory illnesses, such as colds, in the general population by 16-21%.
• Reduce absenteeism due to gastrointestinal illnesses in schoolchildren by 29-57%. (Source)

3. What is the correct handwashing process?

• Wet hands with water.
• Use enough liquid soap to cover the palms, fingers, and wrists.
• Rub hands palm to palm.
• Rub the palm of the right hand over the back of the left hand and the palm of the left hand over the back of the right hand.
• Rub the palm of the right hand over the back of the left hand, interlacing fingers, and vice versa.
• Put the back of fingers to the opposite palm and rub the fingers with a forward and backward motion against this palm.
• Carefully rub the thumb of each hand with the palm of the other hand.
• Rub the fingertips of each hand while rotating in the palm of the other hand.
• Rinse hands well with water and dry them with a disposable towel.
• Turn off the faucet with the towel so that hands do not become re-contaminated with germs from the faucet.
• Apply a solution based on an antiseptic substance, such as a hand sanitizer.

5. Selecting hand hygiene products

The main determining factors for product selection are the antimicrobial profile, user acceptance, and the costs involved. Products for post-contamination hand hygiene must have at least bactericidal, fungicidal (yeasts), and virucidal (enveloped viruses) activity. (Source)

Because, especially in intensive care units and operating rooms, hands are frequently contaminated with blood, activity against pathogens must be included in the minimum activity spectrum of an agent for skin hygiene.

Additional activity against fungi (including molds), mycobacteria, and bacterial spores may be relevant in high-risk wards or during outbreaks. The use of professional disinfectants is mandatory.

Preoperative hand hygiene should be at least bactericidal and fungicidal (yeasts), because the hands of most healthcare workers are carriers of fungi, and surgical site infections have also been associated with hand carriage of fungi during an outbreak.

In the selection and purchasing phase of disinfectants, product acceptability (smell, sensation, skin irritation) by users and its allergenic potential will also be taken into account.

Klintesiv Tip: For disinfection, use a professional product approved by the Ministry of Health. Use enough quantity to fully cover the fingers, palms, back of the hand, and wrists.

6. Handwashing helps combat the rise of antibiotic resistance

Preventing illness reduces the amount of antibiotics people use and the likelihood that antibiotic resistance will develop. Handwashing can prevent about 30% of diarrhea-related illnesses and about 20% of respiratory infections (e.g., colds).

Antibiotics are often prescribed unnecessarily for these health issues. Reducing the number of these infections by frequent handwashing helps prevent the overuse of antibiotics—the most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance worldwide. Also, handwashing can prevent people from getting sick with germs that are already resistant to antibiotics and that can be difficult to treat. (Source)

Unfortunately, in some healthcare institutions, adherence to recommended handwashing practices remains low, rarely exceeding 40% of the situations where hand hygiene is indicated. Hand hygiene reflects attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs. (Source)

Positive role models (the hand hygiene behavior of experienced healthcare workers) and the use of performance indicators also remarkably improve hand hygiene compliance.

In addition, hospitals must ensure an adequate supply of hand hygiene products, lotions and creams, disinfectants based on an antiseptic substance, disposable towels, and handwashing facilities where necessary. Hand sanitizers should be available in sufficient quantities at the point of care. It must be emphasized that wearing gloves does not replace the need for hand hygiene and that contamination can occur during glove removal.

Studies have shown a remarkable and long-lasting improvement in hand hygiene compliance through the use of a multimodal strategy, which was adopted by the WHO's first global patient safety challenge to develop hand hygiene strategies. The availability of individual, pocket-sized bottles has also increased compliance. (Source)

Klintensiv Tip: For hand disinfection, we recommend using products with protective and moisturizing substances, which ensure the skin's lipid balance, preventing the appearance of undesirable effects after multiple uses, such as the sensation of dry or cracked skin.

Conclusion

A significant number of infections are spread due to the lack of proper hand hygiene. Thus, handwashing could effectively prevent the spread of conditions. This is because different types of diseases, more specifically harmful pathogenic microorganisms, can be spread by simply touching another person.

Germs, for example, Salmonella, E.coli O157, and norovirus, cause diarrhea, respiratory infections, and hand, foot, and mouth disease. These germs are often present in feces and can contaminate a person's hand during diaper changing or toilet use. They can also get to the hand while handling raw meat that contains traces of animal feces.

It is important to wash your hands frequently, especially after using the toilet or after contact with various surfaces. In addition, washing hands has been recommended after handling trash, working in the garden, and caring for animals. It is also important to wash your hands after returning home from school, the office, or other outdoor activities.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/why-handwashing.html

https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9433968/

https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/69323/WHO_EIP_SPO_QPS_05.2.REV.1_eng.pdf