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Infection Control - Steri-7 Hand Preparation
In healthcare settings, the threat of infecting your hands with viruses and other pathogens is at its highest.
This applies to a routine procedure in a GP, dentist, care home or clinic and especially to a surgical team in an operating theatre. Infection control is a major priority during surgical handwashing and therefore the importance of having a surgical hand scrub that kills 99.9999% of pathogens cannot be understated.
Our Steri-7 Xtra product range contains Reactive Barrier Technology, protecting the hands even when dry and prevents pathogens from colonising the skin soon after. Speak to an Initial Medical expert about installing Steri-7 Xtra in your premises.
Steri-7 Xtra product range
Our Steri-7 Xtra range includes a hypoallergenic surgical level of hand rub and wash. These products bring a high level of hygienic protection to anything from pre-operative surgical scrubs to general use in kitchens, washrooms and toilets.
Our Steri-7 Hand Rub has in independent tests been shown to destroy 99.99% of feline Coronavirus*.
The combination of a hand wash and hand rub after washing keeps the hands sterile when dry, ensuring the safety of your patients or those in your care.
*Feline Coronavirus, a surrogate virus for Coronavirus.
Three surgical hand preparation steps
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1. Wash your hands - Spend 30 seconds thoroughly scrubbing your hands and wrists, using hot water and plenty of Steri-7 Xtra hand wash. When in a pre-operative surgical environment, ensure you are bare below the elbows before starting to wash your hands.
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2. Dry your hands - A recent study carried out between the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust considered drying hands by jet air versus paper towels in a hospital setting. The study concluded that using disposable paper towels when drying hands removed more pathogens missed by handwashing and led to smaller bacterial counts being transferred into the hospital wards.
Disposable paper towels also dry your hands quickly and create very little irritation of the skin, meaning staff are further encouraged to properly practice scrub procedure often. -
3. Sanitise your hands - It is important that your skin is fully dry and sterile before using hand sanitiser or hand rub. Plenty of Steri-7 Xtra hand rub should be used in order to prevent instant recontamination of the hands from touching surfaces or items.
When to follow the three steps
Consider the following infection prevention touchpoints and scrub procedures used in your practice:
- Before and after the removal of PPE
- Before and after contact with patients
- Before and after treatment sessions
- After exposure to bodily fluids
- Before and after the cleaning of equipment and surfaces
- Before contact with any sterile equipment
Surgical hand preparation tip
To maintain clean, sterile hands after surgical scrub, make sure your nails are kept short, unvarnished and your fingers are kept free of jewellery.
Hand Hygiene Poster Download
Ensure surgical scrub is always adhered to in your healthcare practice. As soon as you fill in the form below, we will send you by email informative, downloadable posters that act as a reminder of the correct handwashing and hand sanitising technique.
Place these posters at your handwashing stations to improve adherence to surgical handwashing procedure.