Staff and visitors should wash the hands:
(1) when arriving
(2) before departing
(3) immediately before handling food, preparing bottles or feeding children
(4) before eating
(5) after using the toilet
(6) after assisting a child in using a toilet or changing a diaper
(7) after contact with soiled diapers, nasal discharge, vomitus or other bodily fluids
(8) after contact with pets, pet cages or pet items
(9) whenever the hands are visibly dirty
(10) after cleaning up a child, the room, toys or bathroom items
(11) before giving or applying medication or ointment to a child
(12) immediately after removing gloves
Handwashing should consist of vigorous rubbing with soap under running water. Drying the hands should be with clean towels or a warm air blower.
Other hand cleaning methods (waterless towels, premoistened towelettes) may serve as an adjunctive role but may be ineffective in preventing transmission of infection.
Gloves alone are not a substitute for handwashing. Apparently clean hands can still transmit pathogenic organisms.
