What is the recommended duration for scrubbing hands during hand hygiene?

What is the recommended duration for scrubbing hands during hand hygiene?

• A. About 20 seconds
• B. About 5 seconds
• C. About 60 seconds
• D. About 2 minutes

Answer: (A)

Thorough hand scrubbing for about twenty seconds ensures soap has enough time to lift and wash away germs from all areas of the hands, including between the fingers and under the nails. Shorter times, like five seconds, don’t give the soap and rinse time to remove many microbes. Longer times, such as a minute or more, don’t significantly increase removal and can lead to skin irritation or simply waste time. A practical way to estimate twenty seconds is to count slowly to twenty or sing a short verse twice while lathering, then rinse and dry. So, about twenty seconds is the recommended duration.

Thorough hand scrubbing for about twenty seconds ensures soap has enough time to lift and wash away germs from all areas of the hands, including between the fingers and under the nails. Shorter times, like five seconds, don’t give the soap and rinse time to remove many microbes. Longer times, such as a minute or more, don’t significantly increase removal and can lead to skin irritation or simply waste time. A practical way to estimate twenty seconds is to count slowly to twenty or sing a short verse twice while lathering, then rinse and dry. So, about twenty seconds is the recommended duration.