Okuzeka
Nursing vocabulary · Infection Control

Hand hygiene

Meaning in nursing, with examples

/ˈhænd ˌhaɪdʒiːn/nounCore term

In nursing, hand hygiene means: Cleaning your hands with soap and water or an alcohol hand rub to remove germs and stop them spreading between patients.

In Turkish: el hijyeni

How it is used

Seen as the most important infection-control measure and regularly audited. Nurses learn the World Health Organization's 'five moments for hand hygiene': before touching a patient, before a clean or aseptic procedure, after body fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient and after touching their surroundings.

Example sentences

  1. Our ward scored 98% in this month's hand hygiene audit.

  2. Wearing gloves is not a replacement for hand hygiene.

Common collocations

  • perform hand hygiene
  • hand hygiene audit
  • hand hygiene compliance
  • five moments for hand hygiene
  • PPEShort for personal protective equipment: gloves, aprons, gowns, masks, eye protection and similar items worn to protect staff and patients from infection.
  • aseptic techniqueA set of working methods that stops germs from getting into a wound, a vein or another part of the body during a procedure.
  • hospital-acquired infectionAn infection that a patient picks up while in hospital or receiving healthcare, which was not present or developing when they were admitted.
  • isolationKeeping a patient apart from others, usually in a single room with extra precautions, to stop an infection spreading or to protect a patient with weak immunity.

More terms: Infection Control

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.