Ayliffe technique

Hand washing technique

The Ayliffe technique is a 1978 six-step hand washing technique, which is attributed to Graham Ayliffe et al., specifically for health care services.[1]

Technique

The technique has been adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is similar to German standard DIN EN 1500 (hygienic hand disinfection))[2][3][4][5] Evidence suggests that it reduces microbial load on hands.[6]

The six steps of the technique are as follows:

  1. Palm to palm.
  2. Palm of left hand to the back of the right hand and vice versa.
  3. Palm to palm with fingers interlocked.
  4. Backs of fingers to the opposing palm.
  5. Rotational rubbing of each thumb clasped in the opposing palm.
  6. Rotational rubbing backwards and forwards with clasped fingers of one hand in the palm of the other.

The paper states that each action should be performed five times and the procedure should last for 30 seconds.[7]

See also

  • Hand washing

References

  1. ^ Geddes, Alasdair (2017-07-10). "Graham Ayliffe". BMJ. 358: j3333. doi:10.1136/bmj.j3333. ISSN 0959-8138. PMID 28694289. S2CID 29226430.
  2. ^ Geddes A (July 2017). "Graham Ayliffe". BMJ. 358: j3333. doi:10.1136/bmj.j3333. PMID 28694289. S2CID 29226430.
  3. ^ "WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care". who.int. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  4. ^
    • * WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care : first global patient safety challenge clean care is safer care (PDF). Geneva: World Health Organization. Patient Safety. 2009. ISBN 978-92-4-159790-6. OCLC 854907565.
    • * WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care. World Health Organization. Patient Safety. 15 January 2009. ISBN 9789241597906.
    • * "WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care: First Global Patient Safety Challenge Clean Care Is Safer Care". NCBI Literature Resources. World Health Organization. 2009. PMID 23805438.
  5. ^
    • * "EN 1500:2013 - CEN/TC 216 - Chemical disinfectants and antiseptics". standards.cen.eu. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
    • * "DIN EN 1500:2017 - Chemical disinfectants and antiseptics - Hygienic handrub - Test method and requirements (phase 2/step 2); German version EN 1500:2013". webstore.ansi.org. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  6. ^ Price, Lesley; Melone, Lynn; McLarnon, Nichola; Bunyan, Donald; Kilpatrick, Claire; Flowers, Paul; Reilly, Jacqueline (July 2018). "A systematic review to evaluate the evidence base for the World Health Organization's adopted hand hygiene technique for reducing the microbial load on the hands of healthcare workers". American Journal of Infection Control. 46 (7): 814–823. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2018.01.020. ISSN 0196-6553. PMID 29602496. S2CID 4506839.
  7. ^ Geddes A (July 2017). "Graham Ayliffe". BMJ. 358: j3333. doi:10.1136/bmj.j3333. PMID 28694289. S2CID 29226430.
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