How To Do A Really Good Job Washing Your Hands

5/23/17

Shared by Donnie Anderson, ICBV Chairman

NPR HEALTH May 10, 20172:57 PM ET

How To Do A Really Good Job Washing Your Hands

If, like many of us, you are reading this article on the toilet — then we’ve caught you at the perfect time.

When you’re done with your business, perhaps you’ll do a thorough hand washing. Or maybe just a quick rinse. Or maybe you’ll skip it altogether.

Failure to wash is a problem for ordinary folks. Germs on your unwashed hands can get into your body when you touch, say, your eyes or mouth. And into your food, too.

It’s a problem for health workers as well. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that medical staff only remember to do so about half the times they’re supposed to. The CDC states: “This contributes to the spread of healthcare-associated infections that affect 1 in 25 hospital patients on any given day.” Worldwide, one in 10 patients acquires an infection while receiving health care.

So this month, the Centers for Disease Control is ramping up its campaign to get doctors, nurses and other medical staff to wash up.

But the question for medical workers (and really, for everyone) is: Do you do a good job?

CDC offers straightforward instructions: soap up, scrub and rinse. The process should take 35 seconds — about the time it takes to sing the alphabet song twice.

Read the full story here: http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/05/10/527047739/how-to-do-a-really-good-job-washing-your-hands