In hand hygiene, which step comes fourth?

In hand hygiene, which step comes fourth?

• A. Turn on faucet and wet hands
• B. Use soap and scrub hands for 20 seconds
• C. Rinse hands from fingertips to wrists
• D. Use one paper towel per hand to dry off fingers to wrist

Answer: (D)

Understanding how to perform hand hygiene in the right order is what this item tests. After turning on the faucet and wetting your hands, you apply soap and scrub for at least 20 seconds, then rinse from fingertips up toward the wrists. The next step is drying your hands with a clean, single-use paper towel. Drying with a towel removes the last moisture and helps prevent spreading microbes, and it lets you shut off the faucet with the towel so you don’t recontaminate clean hands. The earlier actions—turning on the faucet and wetting, applying soap and scrubbing, and rinsing—come before dryness, which is why this is the correct step to perform next.

Understanding how to perform hand hygiene in the right order is what this item tests. After turning on the faucet and wetting your hands, you apply soap and scrub for at least 20 seconds, then rinse from fingertips up toward the wrists. The next step is drying your hands with a clean, single-use paper towel. Drying with a towel removes the last moisture and helps prevent spreading microbes, and it lets you shut off the faucet with the towel so you don’t recontaminate clean hands. The earlier actions—turning on the faucet and wetting, applying soap and scrubbing, and rinsing—come before dryness, which is why this is the correct step to perform next.