When should you wash your hands during nursing tasks?

• A. Beginning and end of each task or as needed
• B. Only at the end
• C. Once per shift
• D. After you finish documenting

Answer: (D)

Hand hygiene prevents the spread of infections by removing germs before they can reach a resident and after you’ve been handling materials or performing tasks that could contaminate your hands. Washing at the beginning of each care task protects the resident from germs you might carry, and washing again at the end of the task removes any germs you picked up during the care. You should also wash whenever hands may have become contaminated during the task. This is why the best approach is to wash hands at the start and finish of each task or as needed. Waiting until the end of the shift, only once per shift, or only after documenting would leave opportunities for germs to spread during care.