During male peri-care, in which direction should cleansing strokes on the penis be made?

During male peri-care, in which direction should cleansing strokes on the penis be made?

• A. Tip to base
• B. Base to tip
• C. Circular motion
• D. Side to side

Answer: (A)

Clean from the tip toward the base. Starting at the urethral opening and moving away from it helps prevent pushing bacteria from the more contaminated base area toward the urine outlet, reducing the risk of introducing pathogens into the urinary tract. Use gentle, single-direction strokes and, if uncircumcised, retract the foreskin to clean under it and then return it. Directions like base to tip, circular motion, or side-to-side can move contaminants toward the urethral opening or fail to follow the clean-to-dirty sequence, which is why tip-to-base is preferred.

Clean from the tip toward the base. Starting at the urethral opening and moving away from it helps prevent pushing bacteria from the more contaminated base area toward the urine outlet, reducing the risk of introducing pathogens into the urinary tract. Use gentle, single-direction strokes and, if uncircumcised, retract the foreskin to clean under it and then return it. Directions like base to tip, circular motion, or side-to-side can move contaminants toward the urethral opening or fail to follow the clean-to-dirty sequence, which is why tip-to-base is preferred.