When should hand washing be performed?

• A. Before patient contact
• B. All of the above
• C. After patient contact
• D. During patient contact

Answer: (B)

Hand hygiene is needed at every critical point in patient care to prevent the spread of infection. You should wash before touching a patient to protect them from any organisms on your hands, during care if your hands become contaminated or you’re switching tasks, and after finishing with the patient to remove any organisms you may have picked up. Because each of these moments poses a transmission risk, the best practice is to wash in all of these situations. In practice, you’ll use soap and water when hands are visibly dirty or contamination is likely, and alcohol-based hand rub is usually fine when hands aren’t visibly dirty. Also remember that gloves don’t replace hand hygiene—you should clean your hands before putting on gloves, between patient contacts, and after removing gloves.