What is hand hygiene best practice in healthcare settings?

• A. Hand hygiene is optional if gloves are worn.
• B. Hand hygiene only after patient contact.
• C. Hand hygiene only before patient contact.
• D. Proper handwashing with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub before and after patient contact and after removing gloves.

Answer: (D)

Hand hygiene should be done before and after patient contact, and after removing gloves, using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. This protects patients from pathogens carried on your hands and also protects you from acquiring organisms during care. Gloves provide a barrier, but they aren’t perfect—gloves can tear or become contaminated when removing them, so cleaning hands after glove removal is essential. When hands are visibly dirty or contaminated with protein material, wash with soap and water; otherwise an alcohol-based rub is fast and effective for routine use.

The other options fall short because gloves aren’t a substitute for hand hygiene, and hand hygiene isn’t only needed before or only after patient contact. Proper practice requires both before and after contact, plus after removing gloves.