Table of Contents
Before you start
- Gather equipment
- Surgical mask – put this on now (you should already have a surgical hat on)
- Sterile gown pack (contains 2 towels and a gown)
- Sterile gloves
- Sterile brush/sponge (with nail pick inside)
- Prepare equipment
- Open outer packaging of gown pack and drop pack onto clean surface
- Unfold the sterile inner packaging of gown pack (touching only the corners of the packet) over a surface to create a sterile field
- Open the outer packaging of the gloves and drop them into the sterile field
- Open the sponge packet and leave inside its container by the sink
From now on, keep your hands elevated above your elbows
Wash hands and forearms (1 minute)
- Turn taps on
- Rinse hands and forearms
- Apply 3 doses of scrub solution to hands (using elbows to dispense it)
- Wash hands and forearms for 1 minute
- Rinse off scrub solution (keeping hands higher than elbows)
Clean nails (1 minute)
- Apply scrub solution to hands and forearms
- Use nail pick to clean each nail in turn (rinse pick after each nail)
- Rinse hands and forearm
- Apply water and scrub solution to brush (using elbows to dispense it)
- Scrub nails
- Rinse off scrub solution (keeping hands higher than elbows)
Wash hands and forearms again (3 minutes)
- Apply 3 doses of scrub solution to hands (using elbows to dispense it)
- Wash hands very thoroughly and then down to forearms (but not down as far as the first wash)
- Rinse off scrub solution (keeping hands higher than elbows)
- Turn off the taps using your elbows
Dry arms
- Use a separate sterile towel for each arm (from scrub gown pack)
- Start at fingers and work down to elbows (dabbing to dry), then discard towel
Apply gown
- Place hands in sleeve pockets on either side of gown
- Raise your arms high and step backward so the gown falls open in the air
- Slide your arms into the sleeves (but ensure your hands remain inside the cuffs)
- Hold your arms up in the air and ask a colleague to tie the back of the gown
Put on gloves
- Open the sterile inner packaging of the gloves using the cuffs of your gown
- Using your right hand (inside the gown cuff), place left glove over left cuff with your left palm facing upwards
- Open your left hand into the glove leaving the cuff around your wrist (inside the glove)
- Repeat on other side
Secure the gown
- Hand the card attached to the gown’s right tie to a colleague
- Ask them to hold it while you turn around 360˚ (left)
- Pull the strap away from the card they are holding so it detaches
- Tie the strap to the other strap in a bow to secure the gown
