It is a well established fact that prior to the advent of medical sterilization many more people died because of operation-related infection than after. According to Mee (2003), in 1847, after “the practice of regular hand washing [was introduced], mortality from puerperal fever sank from 18% to 2.4%.”. Hand washing on the part of nurses is exceptionally necessary beyond the operating room. The nurse comes in contact with the greatest number and variety of patients. Because of this, it is the nurse who has the greatest possibility of carrying an infection via contact from one patient to another, or from one patient to equipment and personnel within the hospital. Hand washing, as opposed to taking showers or disinfectant baths, is preferred because is it quick, easily done, and has the greatest chance of preventing the spread of infection. It is also necessary because it is with the hands that nurses handle infectious containers, check temperatures of infectious patients, and generally contact every element of the room and patient. It is the purpose of this paper, then, to present the justification for nurse hand washing and best practices.
