Why do surgeons wash their hands

Lister used a spray made of carbolic acid, on wounds, dressings and surgical tools. He also washed his hands. The acid killed the germs before they had a chance to cause infection, and the hand-washing kept new germs from being introduced. The reason for this relatively quick and thorough uptake was that circumstances were so profoundly bad in the field of surgery prior to Lister. The reality of surgery before this idea is so gag-inducing that it seems amazing anybody lived through treatment.

June 24, Why do surgeons raise their hands? In this article, you will find the reason. The risk of infection in hospitals First, it is crucial to understand what surgeons and operating room personnel do before surgeries and operations begin. Surgical scrubbing Before entering the operating room, surgeons spend at least three to seven minutes cleaning their hands with chemicals.

The importance of surgeons raising their hands After scrubbing their hands, surgeons must keep both their hands above their waist and below their necks.

The different types of handwash for surgeons Surgeons raise their hands in the operating room to curb all risks of infections.

Social hand wash routine hand wash The social hand wash is the fundamental type of sanitary measure that doctors and surgeons do. Antiseptic hand hygiene Antiseptic hand hygiene supplements routine or social handwash.

Surgical hand wash Most importantly, surgeons perform the surgical hand wash. How surgeons wash their hands Handwash and raising their hands assure surgeons that these will be sterile for the operation. These are the basic steps of surgical handwash, according to the British Columbia Campus Open Publishing: The surgeon must remove all jewelry like rings, watches, and bracelets because microbes reside there. The surgeon must also remove all nail extenders or chipped nail polish. The operating room supervisor will check if the surgeon has sores or wounds.

Using liquid hand soap, the surgeon must remove all visible dirt. Turn on the warm water and apply antimicrobial soap. The hands must stay above the elbows. The surgeon will scrub each finger and the skin in between. Then, the surgeon will wash the back and front portions of the hands. The surgeon will scrub the arms in an up-and-down manner. He will do the same steps on the other hand and arm. Afterward, he will rinse his hands and arms through the running water.

The surgeon will dry his hands with a clean and sterile towel. He will dry his fingertips first in a downward motion. The surgeon will wear sterile gloves. He must ensure that he has no latex allergy, and gloves are not a substitute for proper surgical handwash. Strict handwashing and raising their hands Strict handwashing and raising hands to avoid contamination ensure the safety of surgeries.

These techniques also maintain the sanitation of the operating room and the tools that they use. The scrubbed technologist or nurse gowns the surgeon after he or she has performed the hand and arm scrub. After handing the surgeon a towel for drying, the technologist or nurse allows the gown to unfold gently, making sure that there is enough room to prevent contamination by nonsterile equipment. To glove another person, the rules of asepsis must be observed.

One person's sterile hands should not touch the nonsterile surface of the person being gloved. Formal guidelines and recommended practices for hand washing have been published by professional organizations e.

AORN recommends the use of a traditional standardized anatomical timed scrub or counted stroke method for surgical hand scrub and encourages institutions to follow the scrub agent manufacturer's written recommendations when establishing policies and procedures for scrub times. On this basis, for example, the typical scrub procedure for a PVPI-containing product based on manufacturer's labeling would require the use of a scrub brush and two applications of five minutes each, whereas the typical procedure for a CHG-based product would require a three-minute scrub followed by a three-minute wash.

In actual practice, however, variations in surgical hand scrubbing times may be of shorter duration than manufacturer's recommendations for a number of reasons:. Hand condition is emerging as an increasingly important factor in personnel compliance and infection control. Frequent surgical scrubbing can cause dermatitis of the hands and arms. Most antimicrobial agents are drying to the skin, especially when coupled with a scrub brush.

Antimicrobial Action --an ideal agent would have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against pathogenic organisms. This agent would have to work rapidly.

An agent that does not work rapidly may not provide adequate bacterial reduction before being rinsed off. Persistent Activity --an agent offering persistent activity keeps the bacterial count low under the gloves.

It is not unusual for a surgery to last in excess of two hours. Studies have shown the rate of glove failures non-visible holes increases with the duration of surgery. Safety --the ideal agent would be non-irritating and non-sensitizing. It must have no appreciable ocular or ototoxicity, be safe for use on the body, and not be damaging to the skin or environment.

Acceptance --probably most important to achieving compliance in using a new product is its acceptance by the healthcare worker. A product that has ideal antimicrobial action and an excellent safety profile is of little value to good infection control if the user population fails to support its use. Although each is important in its own right, all four characteristics should be present for a complete package. Liquid or foam soaps.

These are the most common products for surgical scrubs and are used in conjunction with water and dry scrub brushes or sponges. These agents are very drying and with repeated scrubbing with the scrub brush can cause skin damage.

Brush-free surgical scrub. These products use an antimicrobial agent and water but no scrub brush. No matter what agent is used, or which scrub technique you practice, there is only one goal: infection prevention.

Effective surgical scrubs are one of the most powerful strategies of infection prevention in the OR. Glove usage gives a false sense of security against bacteria. Gloves provide an ideal environment for bacterial growth, moisture and warmth, which makes good hand-scrub techniques and aseptic gowning and gloving an important part of the total infection prevention platform. Paul, Minn. For a complete list of references click here. May 1, The purpose of surgical hand scrub is to: Remove debris and transient microorganisms from the nails, hands, and forearms Reduce the resident microbial count to a minimum, and Inhibit rapid rebound growth of microorganisms.

The procedure for the timed five minute scrub consists of: Remove all jewelry rings, watches, bracelets.