Hand Washing

As with everything else in dialysis, you will be trained on how to wash your hands. I thought it would be useful to show you how I wash my hands and then give a few tips & info at the end.

  • Step 1 - Make sure your hands and wrists are wet and put a 50p size amount of the scrub into one hand.

  • Step 2 - Run the scrub all over your hands and wrists getting a good laver going.

  • Step 3 - With the palm of your hand flat, run your fingers from your other hand in a circular motion over the palm & count to 10 – repeat with the opposite hand

  • Step 4 - Turn you hand over and place your palm on top of the back of your hand and rub up and down, making sure you go through the fingers & count to 10 – repeat with the opposite hand.

  • Step 5 - Rub each finger individually making sure that you rub from the bottom of the finger towards the tip.

  • Step 6 - Place your nails on your palms and drag them in towards your hands (like making a fist) so they collect some of the dirt and you are almost shaking hands with yourself. Squeeze both hands 10 times.

  • Step 7 - Rub your nails and cuticles on each finger.

  • Step 8 - Clasp around your wrist and rotate your hand back and forth – like you are getting yourself a Chinese burn, while counting to 10. Repeat on the opposite wrist.

  • Step 9 - Making sure not to touch the tap, any part of the bowl or anything else, throughly raise your hands making sure all the soap is off.

  • Step 10 - Use the paper towels provided or kitchen roll to dry your hands – again throughly. They must be dry to the touch.

  • Step 11 - Using the paper towel you used to dry your hands, turn the tap off.

Your hands are now "dialysis clean". However there a few tips and things to remember;

  1. Take off watches, bracelets or anything around your wrists.
  2. Rings on the fingers can stay in just make sure you move them around when your washing your hands.
  3. It is not the soap or water that is cleaning your hands. It is the rubbing actions.
  4. There is no such thing as sterile hands, so even after you have cleaned them, only touch what is absolutely necessary.
  5. After cleaning your hands, use the alcohol rub provided and you need to take a squirt, rub it over your hands and then let it dry – do not continue to rub until it drys.
  6. The drying of the alcohol rub is what kills the bacteria on your hands.
  7. Buy a very good hand clean – use this after you no longer need clean hands. It will return the moisture lost and stop you getting sores.
  8. If you do touch any surface etc; then start from the beginning. Do not cut corners on hand hygiene.
  9. Inflection of the exit site or peritoneum is 99% of the time down to not having clean hands.
  10. Do not use hand towels to dry your hands as they are not hygienic.

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