At Auto Injury Home Care Specialists we believe that continuing education and communication are important components to providing excellent and consistent care. We have developed a completely online program allowing our employees to increase their knowledge and stay current learning new ways to improve the care they provide.
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Auto Injury Home Care Specialists
Proper Hand Hygiene
In-Service
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1. Introduction to Hand Hygiene
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• Why Hand Hygiene is Important:
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• Reduces the spread of infections.
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• Protects clients, staff, and visitors.
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• Meets regulatory requirements (CHAP, CDC, OSHA).
• Statistics:
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• Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) affect 1 in 31 hospitalized patients daily (CDC).
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• Proper hand hygiene can reduce HAIs by up to 50%.
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2. When to Perform Hand Hygiene
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• Before:
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• Direct contact with a client.
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• Performing aseptic tasks (e.g., wound care, inserting catheters).
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• Handling clean or sterile equipment.
• After:
• Contact with a client or their immediate environment.
• Exposure to bodily fluids (even if gloves were worn).
• Removing gloves.
• Touching contaminated surfaces or equipment.
3. Hand Hygiene Methods
• Handwashing with Soap and Water:
• Use when hands are visibly dirty, after using the restroom, or after exposure to certain pathogens
(e.g., Clostridioides difficile).
• Steps:
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A. Wet hands with clean, running water.
B. Apply soap and lather well.
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C. Scrub all hand surfaces (backs, between fingers, under nails) for at least 20 seconds.
D. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a clean towel or air dry.
• Using Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer:
• Use when hands are not visibly soiled.
• Product must contain at least 60% alcohol.
• Steps:
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A. Apply a sufficient amount of sanitizer to cover all hand surfaces.
B. Rub hands together until completely dry (approximately 20 seconds).
4. Common Barriers to Compliance
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• Lack of time or access to hand hygiene supplies.
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• Skin irritation from frequent handwashing or sanitizer use.
• Lack of knowledge about when and how to perform hand hygiene.
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Solutions:
• Use moisturizing hand lotions to prevent skin irritation.
• Place hand hygiene supplies in convenient locations.
• Provide ongoing education and reminders.
5. Ensuring Compliance
• Supervisors will perform regular hand hygiene audits.
• Employees will receive periodic in services and refresher training.
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• Hand hygiene will be incorporated into performance evaluations.
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Please take the test below and click submit to complete your In-Service.
