Hygiene Basics for Healthcare Assistants The importance of patients' personal hygiene For patients, good personal hygiene provides a feeling of cleanliness and well-being, whereas poor personal hygiene can lead to dry and dirty skin, unpleasant smells and the risk of developing such as ulcers. In order to avoid infections, it is extremely important to remember that the areas with most are the anus, , hands, feet, and . The urethral opening and the eyes are the most sensitive areas to infections. Make sure that you do not move bacteria from other parts of the body to the urethral opening or the eyes. complications bacteria groin armpits Disposables and protective devices The use of for washing the body is easy and quick, it eliminates the need for water and water , which are known to increase the risk of infections. It is strongly recommended that healthcare assistants performing personal hygiene tasks wear protective clothing and gloves to . Protective clothing and gloves protect them from contamination of clothing, hands or other body parts. They also prevent bacteria spreading from one patient to another. disposables bowls avoid spreading infectious diseases Gloves Gloves must always be used for both clean and unclean tasks to protect healthcare assistants and patients from contagion. Remember to: 1 put on the gloves just before you start the task; change the gloves when you go from an unclean task to a clean task; the gloves right after use; throw away wash and/or disinfect your hands immediately after of the task. completion Aprons, coveralls and face masks and protect your clothes when handling , doing intimate care routines, cleaning tasks or handling dirty . Remember to: Aprons coveralls excretions textiles avoid the contaminated side of the apron/coverall touching your clothes; your apron/coverall right after use; throw away wash or disinfect your hands immediately after completing the task. 1 To minimise the risk of spreading body fluids, it is advisable to protect the face with a , face or safety glasses. face mask shield WARM UP What hygiene rules do you follow in your everyday life? DO Do you know how sterile gloves should be put on and taken off? If not, watch the video: 1 , posted by UT Physicians How to safely put on and take off gloves MORE Do you know that hospital infections affect 14 out of every 100 patients admitted? (source: WHO) 1