Before or after routine resident care, which product should be used for hand hygiene?

Prepare for the Nurse Aide I Module B – Infection Prevention Test. Leverage multiple choice questions, detailed flashcards, and comprehensive explanations. Ensure your readiness for the exam!

Hand hygiene before and after resident care is essential to stop the spread of infections. For routine care, the preferred product is an alcohol-based hand rub. It quickly reduces the number of germs on hands, works against a wide range of pathogens, and is quick and easy to use between tasks. It also tends to be gentler on the skin with moisturizing ingredients, which helps everyone stay compliant with hand hygiene.

There are important exceptions. If hands are visibly dirty or greasy, or after contact with certain organisms like spores (for example, after caring for someone with C. difficile), wash with soap and water instead, since water and soap are more effective in those situations. Antiseptic sprays are not the standard for routine hand hygiene, and an alcohol-free gel sanitizer is generally less effective than an alcohol-based rub.