What is the proper hand hygiene technique recommended for healthcare personnel?

The recommended proper hand hygiene technique for healthcare personnel involves using an alcohol-based hand rub that contains between 60% to 90% alcohol. This range of alcohol concentration is effective in rapidly killing a wide variety of pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, by denaturing their proteins and disrupting their cell membranes. Alcohol-based hand rubs are preferred in many healthcare settings because they are quick to apply, require no rinsing, and can be more effective than soap and water in reducing microbial counts on the hands.

While antiseptic soap and water (which aligns with the answer given) can be effective for specific purposes, such as when hands are visibly soiled or in certain clinical scenarios, the general consensus in infection control guidelines supports the use of alcohol-based hand rubs as the primary method for routine hand hygiene in healthcare settings. This is because alcohol-based rubs have the advantage of being more convenient while providing excellent antimicrobial activity. Thus, although using antiseptic soap is beneficial, it does not surpass the efficacy and practicality of alcohol-based hand rubs with the recommended alcohol concentration.