Health Page: Gloves, hand-washing and hand-sanitizers

Shradha Madur, PharmD Candidate, Markland Wood Pharmacy.

With the current COVID-19 pandemic, preventative measures such as wearing hand protection (gloves for example), regularly performing hand washing and using hand-sanitizers have become even more important. Germs such as bacteria, viruses and parasites, can be found everywhere, especially on regularly touched areas such as phones, keyboards and doorknobs. Germs can be transferred onto hands during daily activities and increase the risk of infection if appropriate hand hygiene (gloves, hand washing, and hand sanitizers) is not performed at the right time.

Gloves are recommended when cleaning or caring for someone who is sick. It is important to note that they do not substitute for hand hygiene measures such as hand washing or using hand-sanitizer. Disposable gloves are recommended when caring for someone who is sick or coming into contact with body fluids such as saliva, blood and vomit. Different work places have different requirements for gloves. It is important to wear and remove gloves appropriately in order to prevent contaminating your hands.

Cleaning hands using soap and water or a hand-sanitizer is important to avoid getting sick and spreading germs. Washing hands with soap and water is recommended over hand-sanitizer, when possible, because it reduces all types of germs and chemicals on hands. When hands are dirty or greasy, hand-sanitizers are not very effective, and soap and water is preferred instead. Some examples when soap and water should be used are as follows: before, during and after food preparation, before eating, before and after caring for someone who is sick, before and after treating a cut/wound, after using a washroom, changing diapers or cleaning up a child who used the washroom, after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing, after touching an animal or their waste, after touching garbage.

Hand sanitizers should contain a minimum of 60% alcohol (up to 95%) to effectively kill germs. They do not eliminate harmful chemicals such as pesticides and heavy metals. In addition, they do not eliminate all kinds of germs; examples are norovirus (a stomach bug), some parasites and C. difficile (causes severe diarrhea). Hand sanitizers work by reducing the number of germs on hands. Using a sufficient enough volume and allowing it to completely dry on hands is crucial in helping the hand sanitizer effectively kill germs.

Markland Wood Pharmacy carries many hand hygiene products such as hand-soaps and hand-sanitizers. Our staff members wear gloves and perform hand-hygiene at key times through out the day to ensure safety of our patients and staff. We encourage use of hand-sanitizers before and after entering our pharmacy or any other store, to prevent spreading germs to you and your loved-ones. Pocket-sized hand-sanitizers may be convenient for you to travel with. When you reach home, hand washing for 20 seconds with soap and water, would be a good preventive step as well.

Below are steps on how to properly wear & remove gloves, perform hand washing and use hand-sanitizers, for your reference.

How to wear gloves (non-sterile examination gloves):

1. Wash hands with soap & water or use hand-sanitizer.
2. Remove a glove from the box and touch it at the wrist cuffs only.
3. Wear the glove on you hand.
4. Remove the second glove from the box and wear it on you other hand. Avoid touching skin of your wrist or forearm area by the gloved hand.

How to remove gloves: (Note: do not touch the outer surface of the gloves with bare hands due to risk of contamination)

1. Pinch one glove at the wrist area and lift the glove and peel it from the hand. The glove should be inside out.
2. Hold the removed glove in the gloved hand and slide the fingers of the un-gloved hand between the glove and wrist and roll over the edge to fold it over the hand. (This glove should be inside out with the first glove inside it).
3. Discard the gloves.
4. Wash hands with soap & water or use hand-sanitizer.

How to wash hands properly

1. Wet hands with warm running water.
2. Apply soap onto hands and lather the soap by rubbing your hands together.
3. Scrub and clean all surfaces of your hands: palms, back of each hand, between fingers, thumbs, under nails and the wrist area. This should be done for a minimum of 20 seconds. (Tip for timing 20 seconds: sing the happy birthday song twice)
4. Rinse hands well under running water. (You may choose to let your hands face downwards to allow water to rinse the area under the nails well).
5. Dry hands well with a clean paper towel.
6. Using another paper towel, turn off the tap. (Avoid touching other contaminated surfaces before leaving the washroom, such as the doorknob or door handle).

How to use a hand-sanitizer

1. Apply: Dispense enough product on your palm.(see the label on the container for the suggested amount or estimate how much needed to cover entire surface of your hands).
2. Rub: Bring hands together to rub the product all over your hands. This should take approximately 20 seconds. Let your hands dry completely (do not wipe off hand-sanitizer).

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