The reality in hospitals today is that staff are pulled in twenty directions at one, all needing attention immediately.  

So... When I worked in-patient I never had less than a 16 patient assignment.  If I saw them each 4 times in a shift, with _ideal_ handwashing, that comes to three hours.  On nights or evenings that would be 32 patients.  As someone else pointed out, that's hours of handwashing.  A 15 second handwashing might be more realistic, but fifteen seconds of handwashing ends up with another 15 seconds of drying, etc... And I can remember times when it just didn't happen.  Or avoiding touching a patient so that I didn't have to wash hands (and this was a med-surg floor).  The advantage of the alcohol based cleaners is that they can be used in transit, and then it GETS DONE.


Judith

Judith A. Hayman, RN, BSc, BScN, IBCLC 
Public Health Nurse, Lactation Consultant 
Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit 

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