In daily life
Why? Wash your hands regularly with water and soap to maintain your personal hygiene.
When?
- Before every meal
- Before preparing food (more information on food hygiene)
- After blowing your nose
- After coughing and/or sneezing or having held your hands in front of your mouth (more information on cough hygiene: IDEWE)
- After use of the restroom
Are you looking for information on hygiene in daily life for children? Visit the website of ‘Handige Hans’ (for pre-schoolers) on www.handigehans.be and/or the de website of the European project ‘e-Bug’ (9-16 years old) on www.e-bug.eu.
When visiting a hospital
Why? Visitors that come into contact with patients need to perform hand hygiene in order to prevent the transmission of microbes.
When? Before and after contact with the patient and his/her immediate environment
For healthcare providers
Why? In order to protect the patient and him/herself against the transmission of harmful microbes, healthcare providers have to disinfect their hands with alcohol based solution at specific moments during care.
When?
- Before touching the patient
- Before performing a clean/aseptic procedure: collection of blood, central vascular catheter insertion, …
- After touching a patient.
- After a risk of exposure to a patient’s body fluids or mucosa: emptying the urine bag,etc.
- After touching patient surroundings: bed, bedside table, …