Reflection on Surgical Hand Washing: Evaluation and Improvement

This assignment is a student's reflective analysis of the surgical hand washing procedure. The student documented the hand washing process, identifying a problem encountered during the soap pumping step. The reflection includes an evaluation of the process, highlighting aspects such as palm and nail scrubbing, and the importance of proper drying. The student discusses the process's length and proposes improvements for time management, while also acknowledging the importance of hygiene maintenance. The assignment concludes with an action plan for nurses, emphasizing daily practice for better patient care and infection control, and the improvement of self and time management skills. The student references relevant literature to support the analysis and recommendations.

Running head: REFLECTION ON SURGICAL HAND WASHING
REFLECTION ON SURGICAL HAND WASHING
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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REFLECTION ON SURGICAL HAND WASHING
I was practicing hand washing in the school science lab. I was properly rubbing my
hands with the liquid antimicrobial soap and the procedure included three times hand rubbing
for each hand and one time the nails were rubbed by the brush. In the process of the hand
wash I have slipped at the time of pumping the soap. This was the problem I faced. The
whole procedure was done and recorded with camera in order to get idea of what was wrong
and what was right in the procedure for the future references. In the process of hand washing
there were several aspects such as rubbing the palm and the opposite side of the palm, nails
and up to the naked portion of the hand properly in order to eliminate any kind of microbial
contamination. After the hand washing was done we need to properly soak the water from the
hand by the paper towels. Other than me there were other nurses also practicing the process
and some nurses helped us in recording the video.
On the basis of my feelings about the process I can say it was a successful process as I
did all the steps properly and attentively. However, I have slipped my hands when pumping
the soap thus it should be checked and practiced for eliminating the problem in future (Umar
et al., 2015).
On the basis of evaluation of the process it has been seen that it was lengthy that
should be changed in order act in emergencies. I should practice the process for eliminating
the problems such as the hand slipping in time of pumping the soap. Otherwise the hygiene
maintenance was in a high priority of this process (Labrague et al., 2018).
The process also helped me learning the self management and time management
process as well. As I analysed the factors of the process I found that it would be helpful in
proper time management if we can practice it every day and I found that I can be able to do
all the steps properly as recorded in the video except the pumping the soap when I have

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REFLECTION ON SURGICAL HAND WASHING
slipped my hands. Thus I should practice the process more in order to reduce the
imperfections (Jeanes et al., 2018).
Based on the evaluation and analysis it can be concluded that the hand washing
process is very much important and all the steps should be followed in order to provide the
patient an improved care. However, I am thankful to my fellow nurse who helped me in the
recording process and it will help me in future practices and identification of problems and
reducing them.
On the basis of the above discussion I can be able to recommend an action plan that
should include following and practicing the process everyday by the nurses in order to
provide proper care and infection control. On the other hand it also helps in the self and time
management of nurses (Gibbs, Dietrich & Dagnan, 2017).

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REFLECTION ON SURGICAL HAND WASHING
References
Gibbs, D. M., Dietrich, M., & Dagnan, E. (2017). Using high fidelity simulation to impact
occupational therapy student knowledge, comfort, and confidence in acute care. The
Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 5(1), 10.
Jeanes, A., Dick, J., Coen, P., Drey, N., & Gould, D. J. (2018). Hand hygiene compliance
monitoring in anaesthetics: Feasibility and validity. Journal of Infection Prevention,
19(3), 116-122.
Labrague, L. J., McEnroe‐Petitte, D. M., van de Mortel, T., & Nasirudeen, A. M. A. (2018).
A systematic review on hand hygiene knowledge and compliance in student nurses.
International nursing review, 65(3), 336-348.
Umar, D., Basheer, B., Husain, A., Baroudi, K., Ahamed, F., & Kumar, A. (2015). Evaluation
of bacterial contamination in a clinical environment. Journal of international oral
health: JIOH, 7(1), 53.