Routine Practices

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What Are Routine Practices?

Routine Practices are methods used regularly to protect ourselves when there is potential to come in contact with blood or body fluids from others. We cannot always tell if a person has an infection, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis B so we must treat all blood and body fluids as potentially infectious.

Body fluids can include feces, urine, vomitus, nasal secretions, sputum, and saliva, whether or not they contain visible blood. Extra precautions beyond routine practices may need to be used with certain fluids.

What Is Hand Hygiene?

Hand hygiene refers to removing or killing germs on the hands as well as maintaining good skin integrity. There are two methods of removing/killing germs on hands: washing with soap and running water for a minimum of 15 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand rub.

When Is Hand Hygiene Important?

Always wash your hands thoroughly:

• Before preparing or eating foods
• Before and after providing first aid
• After coming in contact with someone who is sick
• After using the washroom
• After changing diapers
• After handling blood or body fluids whether or not gloves are worn
• After handling items soiled with blood or body fluids
• After you cough or sneeze
• After you use a tissue to wipe your nose
• After gloves are removed

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Skin Care

Intact skin is the first line of defence, therefore careful attention to skin care is an essential part of the hand hygiene program. If integrity of skin is an issue, the individual should be referred to a physician for assessment. Hand lotion prevents drying and cracked skin. Pump-type containers are recommended. If containers are reused, the containers and the pumps should be washed and dried before refilling.

When Should A Hand Sanitizer Be Used?

When hands are not visibly dirty, alcohol-based hand rubs are the preferred method for cleaning hands. Alcohol-based hand rubs should have a minimum alcohol content of 60%.

Alcohol hand sanitizers kill the germs on hands, including transient illness-causing bacteria that are picked up off doorknobs, light switches and others surfaces that hands come into contact with. The effectiveness of the sanitizers depends on the amount and type of alcohol used.

Hand washing with soap and running water for 15 seconds must be done when hands are visibly dirty.

How Can I Protect Myself?

Protecting yourself involves some common sense practices:

• Always treat blood and body fluids as possibly infectious;
• Wear latex, vinyl or rubber disposable gloves when handling blood, body fluids, cleaning cuts or scrapes, and when cleaning blood spills;
• Wash hands after removing gloves and discard the gloves in a plastic bag;
• Clean up spills promptly using a disposable absorbent cloth (i.e. paper towel) first, then disinfect the area thoroughly with a disinfectant like household bleach (i.e. Freshly mixed one part bleach to nine parts of water), the disinfectant should have a contact time of at least 10 minutes;
• Practice proper cough etiquette such as using a disposable tissue or coughing/sneezing into the inside elbow followed by hand hygiene;
• Never re-cap, bend or break-off used needles;
• Place needles and syringes in a puncture-proof container with a lid;
• If you have a needle stick injury, immediately seek medical attention;
• Gowns, aprons, masks, protective eyewear and face shields should be worn when procedures may generate splashes of blood or body fluids;
• Never share personal items such as toothbrushes, razors, nail files, water bottles, and chap sticks since they may pass on small amounts of blood/saliva from one person to another;
• Dispose of razors carefully;
• Handle blood-soiled articles of from other people cautiously;
• Teach children never to touch needles, syringes or condoms and to tell an adult immediately.

Use a hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol or wash with soap and running water for at least 15 seconds when hands are visibly dirty.

 

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