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Basic hygiene routines
Good hand hygiene and appropriate work clothing are the foundation for preventing the spread of infection in health and social care.
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Preventing Infection in Care
Contact transmission via hands is the most common route of infection in health and social care. Microorganisms easily attach to the skin when we touch objects or other people. They can then spread to our eyes, nose, or mouth – or to other individuals.
Core Rules for Hand Hygiene
- Wash your hands after using the toilet and before meals or handling food.
- Disinfect your hands with an alcohol-based solution before and after each care activity.
- Hands and forearms must be free from watches, jewelry, bandages, or splints.
- Nails must be kept short and free from artificial material.
Use of Gloves
Even when using gloves, hands must be disinfected immediately before and after each care activity.
- Protective gloves must be worn if there is a risk of contact with body fluids.
- Gloves provide some protection in case of needle-stick injuries.
- Gloves must always be single-use and made of a suitable material for the task.
- Gloves must never be disinfected, as the material loses its protective effect.
Work Clothing and Protective Clothing
Work clothing in health and social care should consist of trousers and a short-sleeved top, or a one-piece garment. Short sleeves are required to allow proper disinfection of hands and forearms multiple times a day. Long sleeves increase the risk of contamination.
Washing and Handling
- Work clothing must be changed daily.
- Clothing must be washed at a minimum of 60 °C to remove infectious agents.
- Used work clothing must be kept separate from private clothes.
- Care providers are responsible for ensuring proper routines and laundry processes.
Protective Clothing
Protective clothing should be worn over work clothes when there is a risk of contamination from body fluids, skin particles, or other biological material. A plastic apron is a common example.
Personal Assistants
When working as a personal assistant in the service user’s home, private clothing is worn. Personal assistants are not covered by the National Board of Health and Welfare’s regulation on work clothing, but the same hygiene principles apply.
Training and Knowledge
The National Board of Health and Welfare provides an online training course in basic hygiene routines. It includes:
- A general section on the purpose of hygiene routines and rules for personal protective equipment.
- Specific modules on applying hygiene routines and using protective equipment in different settings, such as home care, residential care for older people, group homes under the Act Concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments (LSS), and supported housing under the Social Services Act.
- A knowledge test and the option to print a course certificate.
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Contact
Citizen Service
E-mail: kommunen@boden.se
Phone: +46 921 620 00