When should hand hygiene be performed in a health care setting?

• A. Before touching a patient, after touching blood or bodily fluids, after contact with a patient’s surroundings, and after removing PPE.
• B. Only washing hands before touching a patient.
• C. Only washing hands after removing PPE.
• D. Washing hands after performing non-patient tasks.

Answer: (A)

Hand hygiene is needed at several key moments to block the spread of infections. The best practice is to clean your hands before touching a patient to prevent introducing germs, after touching blood or bodily fluids to remove contaminants, after contacting a patient’s surroundings or equipment to stop carrying organisms from the environment, and after removing PPE because contaminants can transfer from the gear to your hands during removal. If hands are visibly dirty, wash with soap and water; otherwise, an alcohol-based hand rub is usually effective unless you’re dealing with certain spores like C. difficile, in which case soap and water is preferred. These moments reflect standard precautions to minimize transmission. The other options are incomplete because they cover only one situation and miss other critical times for hand hygiene, such as after exposure to bodily fluids, after environmental contact, or after removing PPE.