These days, the importance of hand washing in the medical trade is well known. But what hand washing equipment should be available to medical professionals in order to ensure cleanliness?

2. Hand Washing Facilities for Hygiene in the Medical Profession
Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis was a Hungarian doctor and an
early pioneer of the importance of hygiene and antiseptics in
the medical profession. In the 1840s, no one could figure out
why the clinic at the Vienna General Hospital where
Semmelweis had been appointed was experiencing such a
high maternal mortality rate. Semmelweis weighed all of the
factors and made the observation that doctors were
conducting autopsies on corpses and then delivering babies
without washing their hands. With our modern knowledge
of bacterial infection this seems shocking, but at the time no
one knew about how germs were spread.
He correctly concluded that this lack of hand washing was
causing the pregnant mothers to come into contact with
“cadaverous material” (ie. Bacteria) which caused their
childbed fever. He established a policy of washing and disinfecting doctor’s hands with chlorinated
lime before examining each patient. As soon as he did this, the maternal mortality rate at the clinic
dropped 90%.
These days, the importance of hand washing in the medical trade is well known. But what hand
washing equipment should be available to medical professionals in order to ensure cleanliness?
Medical Hand Wash Sinks
In order to ensure the highest level of cleanliness, medical hand washing facilities must correspond
to the following guidelines:
Sinks or basins should not have any plugs, overflow or chain stays.
The faucet should not be turned on by hand, but rather operated by elbow, sensor or
knee.
The spout should not be
located directly over the drain. This
could lead to the splashing of micro-
organisms back up into the air from the
drain.
The waste outlet should be
free draining without a plug.
Each sink should be fitted with
soap dispensers and hand disinfectant,
mounted on the wall.

3. There should be a paper towel dispenser that is mounted within easy access of the
washbasin.
There should be a waste bin for disposal of paper towels and it should be foot-
operated so that the user doesn’t have to touch it with clean hands.
The hand washing facilities should always be located outside of examination rooms
and should be away from any areas where splashing might occur.
Many important regulatory bodies within the healthcare profession, such as the NHS and the CQC,
will have guidelines and specific recommendations for the appropriate equipment to use for medical
hand washing facilities. These will apply to all practitioners, including surgeons, obstetricians, dental
practitioners and much more.
Hand washing is one of the most important and effective things that medical professionals can do to
reduce the spread of infection, as Ignaz Semmelwies discovered so many years ago. It is crucial to
make sure that the hand washing stations at all medical centers are appropriate and as sanitary as
possible in order to prevent the spread of disease and infection within patients.

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