Skip to Content
Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare Logo
AccessibilityCareersFeedbackCEO Blog
  • Staying At / Visiting MAHC
    • COVID-19 Information
    • Getting to MAHC
    • Patient Appointment Scheduling
    • Overnight Stay
    • Paying a Bill
    • Visiting
    • Privacy
    • Quality of Service
    • Feedback
  • Services
    • COVID-19 Information
    • Emergency Departments
    • Cardiorespiratory
    • Chaplains
    • Clinical Nutrition
    • Complex Continuing Care
    • COVID-19 Assessment Centre
    • Diabetes Education Programs
    • Diagnostic Imaging
    • Dialysis Clinic
    • Discharge Planning
    • District Stroke Centre
    • Find A Doctor
    • Food & Nutrition Services
    • Fracture Clinic
    • General Surgery & Endoscopy
    • Inpatient Care Units
    • Intensive Care Unit
    • Laboratory
    • View More...
  • Donate / Volunteer
    • Huntsville Hospital Foundation
    • South Muskoka Hospital Foundation
    • South Muskoka Memorial Hospital Auxiliary
    • Huntsville Hospital Auxiliary
  • About MAHC
    • Contact Us
    • Events and Public Meetings
    • Message from the President and CEO
    • Who We Are
    • Board of Directors
    • Careers & Volunteering
    • MAHC News / Media Room
    • Public Reporting & Accountability
    • Strategic Plan
    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
    • Whistleblowing
    • Community Engagement
    • Planning for the Future
    • Feedback
  • Visiting
    • Electronic Devices
    • Hand Hygiene
    • Sending Flowers
    • Smoke-Free Grounds
    • Visiting a Patient
    • When Not to Visit
  • COVID-19 Information
  • Getting to MAHC
    • Finding Your Way Around
    • Parking
    • Accessibility
  • Patient Appointment Scheduling
  • Overnight Stay
    • Admissions
    • Accommodations
    • Charges
    • Discharge
    • Isolation
    • Nursing Call System
    • On-Site Services
    • Patient Meals
    • Smoke-Free Grounds
    • Telephone & Television
    • What to Bring
  • Paying a Bill
  • Privacy
    • Your Personal Health Information
    • Your Medical or Health Record Request
    • Privacy Policies
    • Freedom of Information Requests
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Quality of Service
    • Infection Prevention & Control
    • Medical Assistance in Dying
    • Patient Values, Rights & Responsibilities
    • Patient Satisfaction
    • Quality & Patient Safety Plan
    • Wait Times
  • Feedback

Hand Washing

-
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Email This page Email
Home/Staying At / Visiting MAHC/Visiting/Hand Hygiene

Nurse washing her handsNurse washing her handsNurse washing her hands

Quick Links

  • COVID-19 Information
  • Contact Us
  • Emergency Departments
  • Visiting a Patient
  • Donate

Hand hygiene, when done correctly, is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of organisms.  Good hand hygiene techniques are easy to learn and can significantly reduce the spread of infectious diseases.  When visiting a patient, hand hygiene becomes even more important.  Please use the alcohol based hand sanitizers throughout the facility before and after going into a patient's room.

Using Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers

Use of alcohol based hand sanitizer is the preferred method for hand hygiene in the hospital, if hands are not visibly soiled.

  1. Ensure hands are visibly clean (if soiled, follow hand washing steps)
  2. Apply between 1 to 2 full pumps of product, or squirt a loonie-sized amount, onto one palm.
  3. Spread product over all surfaces of hand, concentrating on finger tips, between fingers, back of hands, and base of thumbs.
  4. Rub hands until product is dry.  This will take a minimum of 15 to 20 seconds if sufficient product is used.

Washing with Soap and Water

Please use this technique if your hands are visibly soiled, but do not wash hands in the patient room.

  1. Wet your hands with warm running water. 
  2. Add soap, and then rub your hands together, making a soapy lather.  Do this away from the running water for at least 15 seconds, being careful not to wash the lather away.  Wash the front and back of your hands, as well as between your fingers and under your nails.
  3. Rinse your hands well under warm running water. 
  4. Pat hands dry with a paper towel. 
  5. Turn off water using same paper towel and dispose in a proper receptacle.

(Source: Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care website)

Subscribe to this Page

Contact Us

Huntsville District Memorial Hospital Site
100 Frank Miller Drive, Huntsville, ON P1H 1H7
Phone: 705-789-2311
Fax: 705-789-0557 (administration)


Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare logo

Huntsville District Memorial Hospital Site
100 Frank Miller Drive, Huntsville, ON P1H 1H7
Phone: 705-789-2311
Fax: 705-789-0557 (administration)

South Muskoka Memorial Hospital Site
75 Ann Street, Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E4
Phone: 705-645-4404
Fax: 705-645-4594 (administration)

  • Staying At / Visiting MAHC
    • COVID-19 Information
    • Getting to MAHC
    • Patient Appointment Scheduling
    • Overnight Stay
    • Paying a Bill
    • Visiting
    • View All...
  • Services
    • COVID-19 Information
    • Emergency Departments
    • Cardiorespiratory
    • Chaplains
    • Clinical Nutrition
    • Complex Continuing Care
    • View All...
  • Donate / Volunteer
    • Huntsville Hospital Foundation
    • South Muskoka Hospital Foundation
    • South Muskoka Memorial Hospital Auxiliary
    • Huntsville Hospital Auxiliary
  • About MAHC
    • Contact Us
    • Events and Public Meetings
    • Message from the President and CEO
    • Who We Are
    • Board of Directors
    • Careers & Volunteering
    • View All...
A to Z ServicesPrivacy PoliciesSite MapAccessibilityContact UsPhysician & Staff LoginBoard PortalPFAC Portal Designed by eSolutionsGroup

Browser Compatibility Notification

It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.