Hand washing is the 20-second solution to protecting yourself and others from many diseases.

WHY?

Many outbreaks of food borne illness are traced to unwashed or poorly washed hands. Sneezing and coughing can spread cold germs into the air, but most colds are caught and spread through people’s hands. The germs that cause the flu, SARS, hepatitis A and many kinds of diarrhea can also be picked up and spread by your hands. If these germs are on your hands, touching your mouth or nose when you eat, sneeze or cough, can make you sick. Touching a doorknob, pressing an elevator button, grabbing a pole on public transit or shaking hands can spread germs to others.

WHEN

Always wash your hands--Before and after you touch or serve food, eat or drink, apply or take out contact lenses, treat a cut, scrape, burn or blister, take care of someone who is sick or injured, go to the bathroom, help someone else use the bathroom, change a diaper (don’t forget to wash the baby’s hands too!) cough, sneeze, blow your nose or wipe a child’s nose, handle uncooked food, especially raw meat, poultry, fish or eggs, handle garbage, touch an animal—especially a reptile—or clean up animal waste or use public transportation.

HOW

Washing our hands is a lesson we all learned as children, but when we are busy or in a hurry, we tend to rush or forget to do it. We think our hands are clean, but they are not if we have not done it right. Just rinsing your hands is not washing them, it is wetting them. To get them clean you need to use soap. A quick rub, even with soap, will not get your hands clean, and the few seconds you save could cost you days if you get sick later. To make sure your hands are really clean, scrub your palms, between your fingers, the backs of your hands and under your fingernails for at least 20 seconds. After rinsing, dry your hands with paper towel. Use the same paper towel to turn off the water and open the restroom door.

To facilitate and promote Clean Hands, Palmetto General Hospital provides alcohol based hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the facility. This solution is as effective as the conventional soap and water method to sanitize hands. At Palmetto your safety is our primary concern; feel free to ask your healthcare providers to sanitize their hands prior to administering any treatment, procedure or medication.

RESPIRATORY ETIQUETTE

Respiratory Hygiene is a key way to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses, including: SARS, Infuenza, colds and others.  By following these simple steps you can help us prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue every time you cough or sneeze or cough or sneeze onto your upper sleeve not your hands.
  
• Dispose of tissues properly after use.
  
• If you have respiratory symptoms and you are outside your room, ask for a surgical mask or keep at least 3 feet away from others.
  
• Wash your hands often.
  

CONTACT PRECAUTIONS

Contact precautions are used when you have harmful germs that can spread when people touch you or your environment.   When these precautions are in place, the hospital staff will:

• Clean hands frequently
  
• Put a green sign on your door to let staff know that contact precautions are in place
  
• Wear gloves and gowns when entering your room.
  
  

You:

• Will need to clean your hands frequently.
• Make sure visitors read the sign on your door.
• Limit visitors to a few family members and friends.
  
  

Visitors

• Clean hands upon entering and exiting your room.
• Avoid contact with dressings, tubes, bed sheets and other items the patient may touch.
• Do not go into the rooms of other patients.
• Go to the nurse's station, if you have questions.
  

For further information, consult your physician or nurse or visit the Centers for Disease Control  website.