MICA · CARE LEARNING NOTES
Observe, keep care safe and communicate
Hand hygiene is guided by contacts and risks throughout care. Gloves provide protection when indicated but never replace this reasoning.
Locate the five moments
The WHO framework distinguishes hygiene before touching the patient, before a clean or aseptic task, after body-fluid exposure risk, after touching the patient and after touching the patient’s immediate surroundings. These moments address different risks: protecting the patient, professional and environment. They can occur repeatedly within one care sequence and do not correspond only to entering or leaving a room.
[1]Choose an appropriate method
In most care situations, alcohol-based hand rub is preferred when hands are not visibly soiled. Soap-and-water washing is needed when hands are dirty and in situations specified by the infection-prevention team. Cover all surfaces and follow the product instructions. Report irritated or damaged skin so that effective, tolerable hygiene can be maintained.
[2]Avoid moving contamination
Select gloves according to anticipated exposure and applicable precautions. Remove them after the relevant activity and perform hand hygiene; change them when moving from a dirty area to a clean task. Touching a phone, keyboard or handle with contaminated gloves spreads risk. The WHO campaign notes that excessive glove use consumes resources and does not guarantee better safety.
[2][3]Gloves do not replace hand hygiene and must not carry contamination between tasks. Organise care to avoid touching phones, handles or clean equipment with used gloves. Perform hand hygiene after removal. Washing is required when hands are visibly soiled, following institutional indications.
- Identify transitions between clean and contaminated tasks within the same care episode.
Make good practice achievable
Planning equipment and access to hand-hygiene products avoids interrupting a clean sequence. Observing actual workflows helps identify missed moments: after touching the bed, before a venous connector or between tasks on the same person. Reporting an empty dispenser, absent water or poorly located equipment enables collective correction. Feedback should describe barriers and improvements through prevention rather than merely repeating theory.
[3][2]A learning situation
FICTIONAL SITUATION · REFLECTION WITHOUT A SCORE
Fictional situation: after helping a patient wash, a professional keeps the same gloves on to prepare manipulation of their venous line.
Is staying with the same patient sufficient?
Read the reasoning
No. Moving from an exposure-prone activity to a clean or aseptic task creates a new indication. Remove gloves, perform hand hygiene and prepare care using the required precautions. Gloves worn while washing the patient do not protect the access point. Trolley organisation should allow this transition without recontaminating supplies.
References and scope
- Your 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene (May 2009) ↗
- Clinical Safety: Hand Hygiene for Healthcare Workers ↗
- World Hand Hygiene Day 2025 — It might be gloves. It’s always hand hygiene ↗
Original documentary teaching summary for adult care. Procedures and medicines depend on professional competence, prescription and institutional procedures. International references do not establish an Algerian protocol. Independent human scientific review remains to be confirmed.