How Hand Hygiene Compliance Is Affected By Workplace Culture
According to recent research on the topic, workplace culture among healthcare workers has much to do with hand hygiene and how much workers comply with hand hygiene guidelines. Factors such as attitudes among supervisors and employees affect the degree at which workers follow protocols and best practices. Such compliance has generally been measured via observation, intervention, and self-reporting. While noncompliance can be a result of individual choices, it may also be attributed to the work environment itself.
Researchers have found that hand hygiene compliance is influenced by workers’ perceptions of the work setting, as well as by motivational factors such as self-protection
…show more content…
Self-protection is a major motivator in regard to hand hygiene compliance. A healthcare worker treating a patient who has a pathogen or contagious disease is likely to follow guidelines relatively closely. The same may be true of a worker who handles bodily fluids.
Another workplace motivator is social influence. Peers may affect each other on a fundamental level, in terms of proper hand hygiene practice. Additionally, students and junior staff members are affected by the cues of senior staff members.
Environmental cues also play a part in the overall hand hygiene compliance of healthcare workers. A visual cue, such as the presence of a hand sanitizer dispenser, may prompt a worker to exercise proper cleansing habits. However, the degree to which such cues may affect compliance can vary.
Patient care is another aspect of compliance worth noting. Hand hygiene habits may vary according to the nature of patient care activities. Staff members may be apt to exhibit appropriate hand hygiene habits when they are giving care that is not urgent. The same might not be said of workers in emergency care situations. Many workers may not take the time to comply with protocol when they are engaged in critical
V. (2000). Effectiveness of a hospital-wide programme to improve compliance with hand hygiene. The Lancet, 356(9238), 1307-1312.
Waltman, P. A., Schenk, L. K., Martin, T. M., & Walker, J. (2011). Effects of Student Participation in Hand Hygiene Monitoring on Knowledge and Perception of Infection Control Practices. Journal Of Nursing Education, 50(4), 216-221. doi:10.3928/01484834-20110228-06
The World Health Organization (WHO, 2009), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2002), and The Joint Commission (2009) recommend methods for monitoring performance and providing feedback to HCWs. Despite continuous efforts by managers to improve training and supervision, HCWs miss several opportunities to wash or sanitize their hands before touching patients or touching the patient care environment. Studies have shown that HH compliance among HCWs in the United States is at or below 50% (McGuckin, Waterman, & Govednik, 2009). Managers are compelled to improve their teams ' performance. (Mcguckin & Govednik, 2015, p.
When overcoming concerns and challenges of the current state of hand hygiene compliance, many new strategies must be implemented to promote and progress hand hygiene behavior. One strategy is to continue to observe nurses using recommended practice using multimodal and multidisciplinary technology. Another strategy to increase compliance exists in making hand hygiene an essential part of nursing culture and creating an institutional priority where administrations provide appropriate support and financial resources (Pfoh, Dy, & Engineer, 2013).
There is a reason that meticulous hand hygiene is a standard of care for all patients-it saves lives. Hand hygiene is basic task that has many benefits. It is common knowledge that hand hygiene is a “good” habit. Knowing that information, we must now explore how well nurses and other health care professionals are adhering to the standards of appropriate and effective hand hygiene practices.
This literature review will analyze and critically explore four studies that have been conducted on hand hygiene compliance rates by Healthcare workers (HCWs). Firstly, it will look at compliance rates for HCWs in the intensive care units (ICU) and then explore the different factors that contribute to low hand hygiene compliance. Hospital Acquired infections (HAI) or Nosocomial Infections appear worldwide, affecting both developed and poor countries. HAIs represent a major source of morbidity and mortality, especially for patients in the ICU (Hugonnet, Perneger, & Pittet, 2002). Hand hygiene can be defined as any method that destroys or removes microorganisms on hands (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). According to the World Health Organization (2002), a HAI can be defined as an infection occurring in a patient in a hospital or other health care facility in whom the infection was not present or incubating at the time of admission. The hands of HCWs transmit majority of the endemic infections. As
Whitby, M., Pessoa-Silva, C., Mclaws, M., Allegranzi, B., Sax, H., Larson, E., Seto, W., Donaldson, L. & Pittet, D. (2007). Behavioural considerations for hand hygiene practices: the basic building blocks. Journal Of Hospital Infection, 65 (1), pp. 113-114. 1--8.
Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a major threat to patient safety at a global level. Hand hygiene is a most important measure that reduces hospital-acquired infections and improves patient safety (World Health Organisation, 2009). Although many hand hygiene initiatives, programs, policies and evidence-based guidelines are developed worldwide, some programs are facing challenges regarding compliance. For example, the “Bare Below the Elbow (BBE)” policy in the United Kingdom, imposes various restrictions on clothing and accessories for healthcare workers (HCWs) during their clinical activity. This essay will use current literature regarding the BBE policy and argue that BBE improves hand hygiene, which is essential for good infection control practice. This is demonstrated by five randomised, controlled studies that evaluate bacterial transmission, handwashing efficacy and patient perception regarding BBE attire.
Thus, for the purpose of this paper, I will be describing a scenario that I witnessed where a Registered Care Aide (RCA) provided care in an inappropriate manner by means of hand hygiene and highlight the importance of infection control as a way to minimize nosocomial infections and contamination of the surrounding
The world loves to see great organizations that are known for their achievement and meeting their goals and putting smiles on other people/patients faces. Healthy work environments make sure that they show each other great communication with whatever they do inside the workplace. It is a good thing for all workers inside of any workplace of health to practice speaking to each other during procedures and especially during any breaks. This together forms special bonds and chemistry. When there is great chemistry between workers, they feel way more comfortable with the decisions and are less likely to make bad decisions or make mistakes because of not feeling like they are doing the right thing. All of this is just a more broad way of saying collaborative relationships, and promote decision making among all nurses is so important. Uncomfortable workers will always feel that they cannot do anything on their own. So most of the time when they do not feel like they can do something on their own they would normally try and leave to get assistance from another worker or just act very hesitant. No patient wants assistance from a worker that doesn’t feel comfortable. So that is why workers should communicate with each other, and not want to feel bothered. Workers would then learn to freely go around and keep the place clean. Sweeping, sanitizing, and being very precautious is what people love to see when stepping in because unhealthy work environments can have adverse consequences on the quality of care delivered as well as nurses intention to leave the profession. Workers wouldn’t want to work in a profession that has an unhealthy work environment because they are just as careful with other people’s lives just as they are with theirs. Unhealthy work environments aren’t the right places to perform work in either. They are not the right places to perform procedures or not
Using good hand hygiene is a start to making sure the patient environment is safe. “Handwashing is a fundamental principle and practice in the prevention, control, and reduction of healthcare-acquired infections” (Bjerke, 2004, p. 1). Hand hygiene aids in infection control, being as most hospital acquired infections are due to improper or absence of hand hygiene. Fox, Wavra, Drake, Mulligan, Jones, Bennett, and Bader (2015) suggest that 2.5 million deaths occur from hospital-acquired infections and of those deaths, 90,000 were preventable if the workers in healthcare would have used proper hand hygiene. Piece of mind is a mutual benefit of using hand hygiene in the healthcare setting. A nurse benefits from using hand hygiene because it would reduce the risk of that nurse contaminating other patients when going from patient room to patient room. A patient benefits from using hand hygiene because it reduces the risk of that patient spreading infection from one part of the body to another. Piece of mind is the benefit for knowing that patients and nurses are protected in healthcare facilities by using hand hygiene. Patients and nurses will benefit from using hand hygiene because it is a simple way to aid in keeping the individual healthy. The hands carry many germs and constant adherence to good hand hygiene will decrease the risk of people catching illnesses and contaminating shared surfaces (door handles, tables, and
Of the numerous speculations of work motivation, Herzberg's (1998) motivator hygiene theory has been a standout amongst the most persuasive in late decades. Essentially, the hypothesis isolates propelling variables into two classifications: Motivator factors, which have a remark with the work itself, and Hygiene factors, which have a remark with the encompassing
Compliance with this health policy on hygiene will definitely reduce greatly infection in patients and health workers alike. This type of infection cannot be totally eliminated, but efficient strategies can put the spread at bay. Kudos to the World Health Organization for initiating worldwide the launch of the Global Patient Safety Challenge titled 'Clean Care is Safer Care' on the 13th October, 2005 at its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. It brings together experts from across the globe with the simple vision of catalyzing commitment by policymakers, medical practitioners as well as patients to make 'Clean Care is Safer Care' a matter of daily practice around the world. If you are contemplating in your organization to develop a comprehensive patient safety handling program for patients and workers protection, then bear in mind that you need the right data, examples and tools that will give room for eventual success.
Providing safe and quality care that is patient centred is one of the most important aspects of a nurse’s career. This must be carried out through all health care settings (Alwyn Rehabilitation Hospital, 2017). Although, in most situations a nurses role also needs to involve leadership and management skills. They need to be able to identify best practice and patient health changes. They need to be able to prevent or manage adverse effects and events (Australian College of Nursing (ACN), 2015).
The other part of the topic, Preventative factors, was chosen because there are many factors that could possibly prevent good hand washing such as training and lack of understanding (RFERENCE nurses training nmc not getting off the ward for training n best practise barriers to nursing ). Staff need to make sure their training is up to date on infection control and they need educating so they have adequate knowledge on how to wash their hands correctly (Health Awareness, 2018). World Health Organisation (WHO) (2018) states that many infections are passed from patient to patient mostly by health professionals. There have been approximately 1.4 million incidents relating to hospital associated infections but there could be many more (WHO,