Regardless of where you work, it’s a good idea to know how to keep your hands clean. In a recent newsletter regarding Independent Health Facilities and Out-of-Hospital Premises, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario noted:
The ministry notice was prompted by recent cases of serious infection control lapses in facilities using invasive ultrasound probes. In particular, public health inspections identified improper reprocessing concerns including, inadequate hand hygiene practices, inadequate space for reprocessing medical equipment, and improper cleaning of probes prior to high-level disinfection. It was also observed that some staff were not properly trained and educated in reprocessing practices.
Good hand hygiene practice is essential for healthcare providers. It is always good to review your hand washing practices, no matter your experience level. We have compiled this refresher/primer to ensure best practices for hand hygiene:
- How to hand rub with a hand sanitizer
- How to hand wash
- For hand washing posters and more information, go to the Ontario Governments website, “Just Clean Your Hands”
Tips include:
- Use liquid or foaming hand soap and not bar soap as bar soap can become contaminated.
- Use the paper towel you use to dry your hands to turn off the water tap at the sink to avoid re-contaminated your hands after you’ve washed them.
- Whether you’re using a hand sanitizer or washing your hands, it should take 15 seconds, or about as long as it takes to sing one verse of a favourite song.
2Ascribe Inc. is a medical transcription services agency located in Toronto, Ontario Canada, providing medical transcription services to physicians, clinics and other healthcare providers across Canada. Having recently introduced WEBscribe, a client interface portal for document management, 2Ascribe continues to implement and develop technology to assist and improve the transcription process for physicians and other healthcare providers. As a service to our clients and the healthcare industry, 2Ascribe offers articles of interest to physicians and other healthcare professionals, medical transcriptionists and office staff, as well as of general interest.
