Need help with a homework assignment

[Larry_OHF]

All of you are proving my points that I will be making in the paper.

Thank you all so much! I found the medical journals that say that people think these ways...but here is the proof!

[Dave_the_quack]

I'm sure that I know the correct answer, as the wisest person on Earth told me the answer.

Oprah.

On one of her shows it said that 15 seconds was enough, about the time it takes to sing "twinkle twinkle little star" in your head.

So Larry, what is the correct answer?

[StigTC]

Voted 5 seconds, just hands in under cold water, rub them together fast and then be on, you'll catch twice the amount of germs grabbing the doorknob on the way out anyway.

[ 03-31-2005, 04:07 PM: Message edited by: StigTC ]

[Larry_OHF]

I am waiting for more votes for my paper. And I love these added opinions. I'll release my paper's findings once I have it ready.

[Cerek]

Having worked in the healthcare field for 13 years, I know that the frequency of handwashings is more important than the time spent with each washing. Nurses and doctors are required to wash their hands EVERY patient. In other words, when the nurse or doc is making their "rounds" to visit the patients in the hospital, they are supposed to wash their hands after each patient. In order to avoid cross-contamination, it is strongly recommended they wash their hands before leaving the current room rather than immediately after entering the next room.

As for the length of time, the CDC recommends 10-15 seconds. But this is AFTER you have applied the soap and put it back in the tray (or set the bottle back down). You're supposed to apply the soap, let it dry a bit, THEN rub vigorously for 10-15 seconds. So the total time would probably be 20-25 seconds (from turning the water on to drying your hands). But since the minimum time recommended was 10 seconds, that is what I chose on the poll.

[Mr. Mopery]

Originally posted by RevRuby: quote: Originally posted by Marant: Oh.. and unless you've got an infection or something, pee is completely sterile

as to why i don't freak out about making sure my kids don't pee in their bath. i've read (on my baby boards) from some mothers who go to great lengths to prevent it. [/QUOTE]Great lengths to prevent it? Bleh! You've just put all sorts of freaky-weird images of gnomish bathtime contraptions in my head.

With the immense amount of worrying that mothers do, you'd think human life had been around for a week or so.

And Larry, did you HAVE to write about handwashing for your Spanish class? Or was it your choice. Next time I'd suggest writing about Los mapaches azules!

[shadowhound]

I usually wash my hands for longer then 30 seconds, I like to give them a good scrubbing in cold water with soap.

[RevRuby]

so what is the answer larry?

[Jorath Calar]

Guess he got stuck in the lab... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Larry_OHF]

Sorry! Here is my report. I sorta went a different way than what I was first planning. This is the English version that I did, before translating it. I do better on these when I get all my thoughts down in English first.

Did You Wash Your Hands?

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated “handwashing is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection.” Almost everyone believes handwashing is important, so why is compliance so low? Excuses such as not having enough time, not feeling dirty, not having the proper equipment, or feeling too much handwashing chaffs the skin have been given. Organizations everywhere have worked hard to remedy these excuses and despite their efforts, compliance has still remained astonishingly low. Studies have proven the most important factors in increasing handwashing compliance lie in people, through their power of example.
Proper handwashing prevents the spread of diseases such as salmonella, hepatitis A, influenza, strep, typhoid and the common cold. (HAND WASHING) Over one million infections acquired in US hospitals every year could be prevented if all medical workers practiced proper handwashing. (Huskey) Proper hand washing starts by first wetting and applying soap to your hands. Next, rub your hands together and scrub all surfaces including between the fingers, the back of your hands, under your fingernails, and your wrists. After scrubbing your hands, continue to lather for 10 to 15 seconds. Then thoroughly rinse your hands. Dry your hands with a clean dry towel. Finally, due to only 74 percent of women and 61 percent of men washing their hands, when in a public restroom use your paper towel to exit the door. (FDA)
In response to the excuses of not having enough time or not having the proper facilities to wash ones hands, CDC has said it is okay to use antiseptic when there are no handwashing facilities available. Antiseptic gels actually work better in eliminating bacteria on the hands, but many of the commonly found instant hand sanitizers do not work as well as cleaning ones hands for 20 seconds with soap. (Pittet 234 and FDA) Even with the increase of hand sanitizers, few people use them after bathroom use.
Soap companies are even coming out with soaps that have lotion in them so people will not experience the chaffing skin that may come with frequent handwashing. This has had no measurable impact in increasing handwashing compliance.
The CDC reported in 1994 that only 14-59% of doctors wash their hands as they move from patient to patient. Nurses had only a 25-40% rate of handwashing before moving on to their next patient (Huskey). Due to poor immune systems and numbers of diseases in medical settings, handwashing in hospitals are a big deal. A study was performed with an old hospital which did not have readily accessible sinks and a new hospital which was designed with handwashing in mind. The study measured the number of times medical personnel should have washed their hands and compared it to the number of times they actually did wash their hands.
Surprisingly a larger percentage washed their hands in the old hospital with not-so-ready accessible sinks. The study found that if a higher ranking staff member were to wash their hands then most of the other medical personnel would follow suit. In contrast, if a higher ranked staff member failed to wash their hands, then the other staff members were less likely to wash theirs. The lesson learned was that despite the hundreds of thousands of dollars invested into making handwashing easier and therefore hoping to increase handwashing compliance, nothing could compare to the power of example. (Lankford 217)
In potty training small children, they naturally want to wash their hands as they see their parents do. Just as everyone in the family wants to wash their hands before dinner when they see someone else do it. When we talk about what we are doing and why we are doing it, children tend to follow suit. As the hospital study showed, not only is example important for children, but it is a powerful influence for all that surround you. Example is even more influential when you catch the other person’s attention by talking to them.
In order to live healthier lives, not only do we have to wash our hands, but we need to get everyone else to wash their hands also. So the next time you have the opportunity to be an example of good handwashing, make the most of it by becoming an influence for good health. Let others see you use your paper towel to open the door. Talk about how handwashing could save thousands of lives and keep millions of people out of the hospital every year as you lather up. Through the power of example, we can increase the compliance of people washing their hands.

Works Cited

“HAND WASHING.” health.state.ut.us. Revisado Agosto 2001.
Utah departamento de salud, oficina de la epidemiología. 29 Marzo 2005
< http://www.health.state.ut.us/els/ep.../handwash.html >

“Did you wash your hands?” people.virginia.edu. Revisado 07 Enero 1998.
Mantenido por Robert J. Huskey. 29 Marzo 2005
< http://www.people.virginia.edu/~rjh9u/handwash.html >

“Hand washing-related research findings.” foodsafety.gov. Revisado 30 Julio 1998.
Distribuido por el consejo de seguridad de comidas internacionales. 4 Abril 2005
< http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/fsehandw.html >

Pittet, Didier “Improving adherence to hand hygiene practice: A multidisciplinary approach.”
Emerging Infectious Diseases Marzo-Abril 2001; Vol. 7, Nu. 2 : 234-240.

Lankford, Mary G., Zembower, Teresa R., Trick, William E., Hacek, Donna M., Noskin, Gary A., Peterson,
Lance R. “Influence of role models and hospital design on hand hygiene of health care workers.”
Emerging Infectious Diseases Feb 2003; Vol. 9, Nu. 2 : 217-223.