NCLEX Practice Test 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Master Your Nursing Exam!

Hand hygiene is a critical practice in healthcare settings to prevent the transmission of infections. Performing hand hygiene before and after patient contact is essential because it significantly reduces the risk of spreading pathogens between patients and healthcare providers. This practice is integral to infection control protocols and is emphasized in guidelines from health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

When healthcare providers engage with patients, they can inadvertently transfer microorganisms from their hands to the patient or vice versa. By washing hands both before and after these interactions, nurses can minimize the risk of nosocomial infections, which are infections acquired in a hospital setting. This practice helps protect not only the patient but also the healthcare worker and other patients.

Hand hygiene is not limited to situations like using the restroom or specific times like meal times, which means that while those situations do require hand cleaning, they are not comprehensive enough to ensure overall safety in patient interactions. Each instance of contact with a patient or their environment requires a conscientious approach to cleaning hands to uphold the highest standards of patient care and safety.