HAND HYGIENE QUIZ 1. Why is hand hygiene so important? (1 point) a. It is one of the single most effective measures for preventing the spread of infection. 2. Name five reasons why staff do not wash their hands. (5 points) a. Inadequate sinks. No soap. No hand towels. Poor water temperature control. Too busy. Previous skin irritation. Don t understand the risks. Ignore all advice. 3. What types of micro-organisms are picked up daily (1 point) on our hands by contact with other people, equipment or the environment? a. Transient. 4. What types of micro-organisms are part of our essential (1 point), normal skin flora, but are potentially dangerous during invasive procedures? a. Resident.
5. Name five activities where you need to (5 points) decontaminate your hands before you begin. a. Starting work in the morning. Going for a break. Leaving for home at night. Preparing or handling food. Eating food. Entering or leaving an isolation area. Putting on sterile gloves Participating in invasive procedures. 6. Name five activities where you need to (5 points) decontaminate your hands afterwards. a. Handling soiled items. Changing linen and bedding. Emptying or handling waste. Removing protective clothing. Making contact with blood or body fluids. Any cleaning operation. Using the toilet. Blowing your nose/covering a sneeze. Any patient/client care procedure.
7. Routine hand hygiene consists of social (2 points) and hygienic hand hygiene what does each term stand for? a. Social (to remove transient micro-organisms and to make hands physically clean after performing social activities using soap, or alcohol-based preparations if your hands look clean). b. Hygienic (removing transient micro-organisms with an antiseptic solution; or soap followed by an alcohol-based preparation when a procedure requires a higher level of hand hygiene e.g. aseptic technique). 8. What type of product could be best for the (1 point) decontamination of visibly clean, but potentially contaminated hands? a. An alcohol-based preparation. 9. What is the aim of surgical scrub? (1 point) a. To substantially reduce resident micro-organisms and remove or destroy transient micro-organisms before a surgical procedure is performed.
10. Name three Occupational Health issues related (3 points) to hand hygiene. a. An adverse skin reaction to a product/ingredient. Long-term damage to the skin (e.g. eczema or psoriasis). Adverse reaction to NRL gloves. 11. How should liquid soap dispensers be located, (3 points) operated and maintained within the clinical setting? a. Wall mounted (with individual replacement cartridges). Operated by elbow, wrist or foot. Inspected and maintained regularly. 12. What physical sign prompts the washing of hands (1 point) with soap and water after using alcohol-based preparations? a. Sticky hands. 13. What additional benefit do antiseptic agents (1 point) offer during surgery? a. A residual activity that results in a prolonged effect. 14. What are the three stages of effective (3 points) hand hygiene technique? a. Preparation. Washing and rinsing. Drying.
15. Name five things that you can do before washing (5 points) your hands, which can make hand hygiene more effective. a. Keep nails short. Remove watches, rings and jewellery. Do not wear artificial nails. Do not wear nail polish. Roll up sleeves/remove long-sleeved tops. Cover cuts and abrasions with waterproof dressings. 16. How long should hands be rubbed together (1 point) during social hand hygiene? a. At least 15 seconds. 17. Why is it important to dry hands thoroughly after washing? (1 point) a. As micro-organisms transfer most effectively from wet surfaces. 18. Name five ways to minimise skin damage from (5 points) regular hand hygiene. a. Always wet hands under running water before applying soap or antiseptic. Rinse hands thoroughly to remove all traces of cleansing agent. Dry hands carefully, particularly between the fingers. Report any skin irritation or abnormality to Occupational Health and/or your General Practitioner.
Use alcohol preparations where possible. Apply hand creams regularly. 19. What type of NRL gloves are the safest? (1 point) a. Those that are powder free and have the lowest possible level of extractable proteins. 20. (a) What helps people to understand the need for (1 point) hand hygiene, and the risks of not complying eventually bringing about behavioural change? a. Education. (b) Name three additional strategies associated with improvements in hand hygiene behaviour? a. Observation and feedback. (3 points) Reminders in the workplace. Sanctioning and rewards. Effective resourcing (avoiding understaffing). Active staff participation. Good skin care facilitation. Personal score = Possible points = 50