Chapter 2: Table of Contents
Hand Drying
The surgeon should open his/her sterile gown pack and gloves before performing the hand scrub or should have an assistant open the gown pack so as to not contaminate the scrubbed hands. Remember that scrubbed hands are clean but not sterile.
After scrubbing, the surgeon should pick up the sterile towel from the gown pack and step away from the pack/table ensuring not to drip water on the gown or touch the other gown or drapes contained within the pack. Remember that your hands are considered clean but are not sterile. Unravel the sterile towel by holding only one end of it in the dominant hand ensuring to stand away from any equipment so that the towel does not become contaminated. The surgeon should also stand in such a way that the towel does not come in contact with his/her scrub top or pants during hand drying. The towel should only contact the scrubbed hands and forearms of the surgeon. With one end of the sterile towel, the surgeon should gently dab the first hand and then move up along the wrist and forearm keeping each hand on either side of the towel. Do not return to your hand once you have moved proximally along your arm. When one hand is dry, the surgeon should grasp the other (unused) end of the sterile towel with the opposite hand, and repeat the steps drying the second hand, wrist and forearm. After drying both hands and forearms, the towel should immediately be discarded in an aseptic manner (i.e. without ‘scrunching’ it).