What action should healthcare workers take before and after patient care?

Performing hand hygiene before and after patient care is a fundamental practice in healthcare settings to prevent the transmission of infections, including those caused by bloodborne pathogens. This action helps remove or kill germs on the hands, which can be transferred to patients, healthcare workers, and objects in the environment.

Hand hygiene not only protects the patient from potential infections during treatments or examinations but also safeguards healthcare workers themselves. It is a critical component of infection control protocols and is recognized as an effective method to reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections.

While wearing gloves, disinfecting equipment, and changing uniforms are important practices in infection control, they do not replace the necessity of hand hygiene. Gloves can become contaminated, and it's essential to wash hands before putting them on and after removing them. Similarly, while disinfecting equipment contributes to a clean environment and changing uniforms can limit the spread of pathogens, hand hygiene remains the primary defense against the transmission of infections.