Hand Hygiene

hand-hygiene.jpgProtecting our patients is the top priority at Cooper University Health Care. Hand washing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of infection and is the professional responsibility of all health care workers. When you are at Cooper, feel free to ask our staff if they have washed their hands. Also, remember to wash your own hands to prevent the spread of contaminants.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you should wash your hands:

  • Before preparing or eating food.

  • Before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

  • Before and after changing wound dressings or bandages.

  • After using the restroom.

  • After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

  • After touching hospital surfaces such as bed rails, bedside tables, doorknobs, remote controls, or the phone.

How to Wash Your Hands

1. Wet your hands with clean running water.

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2. Apply enough soap to cover both hands.

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3. Rub your hands palm to palm.

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4. Rub your right palm over the back of your left hand with your fingers interlaced. Then repeat this by rubbing your left palm over the back of your right hand. 

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5. Rub your palms together with your fingers interlaced.

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6. Clean the back of your fingers by rubbing them into the opposite hand with your fingers interlocked.

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7. Clean all the way around your thumbs by clasping your left thumb with your right palm and repeating the same motion with your right thumb in your left palm. 

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8. Remember your finger tips! Rub the tips of your left fingers in the palm of your open right hand. Repeat with the tips of your right fingers in the palm of your open left hand. 

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9. Rinse hands thoroughly under stream of water.

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10. Dry hands thoroughly with paper towel to avoid spreading germs back to your hands.

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11. Use towel to turn off faucet.

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For more information from the CDC, including tips and videos on hand hygiene, click here.