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Literature review of handwashing
Principles of infection prevention and control in a health care setting
Literature review on hospital infection control
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The focus of health care is and has always been, practicing good hygiene, living a healthy lifestyle, and having a positive attitude reduces the chance of getting ill. Although there is not much prevention we can take for some of the diseases but we can certainly practice good hand hygiene to prevent infection and its ill effects. Research proves that hand washing is surely the most easy and effective way to prevent infection in health care. The question for this research: Is Hand washing an effective way to prevent infection in health care? It led to the conclusion that due to the high acuity, high patient: staff ratio, and lack of re evaluation certain units in the health care facilities cannot adhere to correct hand washing guidelines. Hand …show more content…
There can never be enough emphasis on its teaching in school, communities, colleges, hospitals, clinics etc. There are a lot of journal articles, books and research material available to support this easy prevention technique. Rachel Barrett and Jacqueline Randle (2008) in their journal, Hand hygiene practices: nursing students perceptions, state that “Hands of healthcare workers and patients are therefore a primary cause for the transmission of infections by both endogenous and exogenous spread” (Para. 1). This is a relevant point which must be highlighted in every study material and teaching plans by the tutors in healthcare settings. Without proper hand hygiene it not possible to decrease the ill effects of infections spread through contact. The authors further discuss that other standard precautions should be kept in mind as those are important too. For example, while doing dressing change or assessing the pressure ulcer it is crucial to wear gloves as hand washing alone would not be enough to protect from contamination. However, the main point to remember is that gloves should not be used as a substitute for hand …show more content…
The writer observed different units of a hospital on two consecutive days from 7:00AM to 4:00 PM. The research findings were then organized in table form and conclusion was drawn. The things that I observed and thought will best fit to answer the research question are: if healthcare providers were washing hands effectively in the beginning of shift and at the end of the shift? Are they washing hands the same way at the beginning and end of shift? , how often are they washing hands? How much time does it take for them to perform hand washing? Are they washing hands every time they take their gloves off? Are they washing hands between each patient care, are they closing the faucet with a paper towel? This gave enough information to draw conclusions and to further compare the
“The CDC is the primary developer of national infection control and prevention guidelines, often in collaboration with its Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, which is responsible for research and dissemination of the latest information for preventing disease transmission” (Griffis, 2013, p. 175). Infection control will continue to be a topic of discussion as long as germ transmission is still happening. Among these studies is the concern the frequent nonadherence to contact precautions is a huge issue that many studies are still very concerned about (Jessee & Mion, 2013, p. 966). The writer is also concerned with the blatant disregard for hand hygiene that appears to be happening in the medical field. What about what is best for the patient. Do the people that do not use proper hand hygiene not understand how important it
Disinfection is applied in water as well as wastewater treatment as a finishing step so as to destroy pathogens but the cause of concern regarding the disinfection process is the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Natural organic matter (NOM) in water has been considered as the predominant DBP precursors. Disinfectants are powerful oxidants that oxidize the organic matter present in water forming DBPs. Chlorine, ozone, chlorine dioxide, and chloramines are the most common disinfectants used nowadays and each produces its own suite of chemical DBPs in finished drinking water (Richardson, 2003). DBPs so formed pose a threat to human health because of their potential to cause cancer and reproductive/developmental effects. Most developed nations have regulated concentration of DBPs so as to minimize exposure to potentially harmful DBPs while maintaining adequate disinfection and control of targeted
Feces, viruses, staph, Salmonella and hand-foot-mouth disease. These are just a few of the things that can be on our hands from normal daily living. With compromised immune systems, open wounds and other issues, these are very harmful. That is why it is so important to keep proper hand hygiene in mind at all times. Hospital infections affect almost two million people in the United States every year, 100,000 of whom die. Up to 70 percent of infections could be prevented if the health care workers follow recommended protocol (Michigan Health Lab, May 26, 2016). Nobody wants to know that when your food has
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
Numerous studies have reported that hand hygiene reduces health care associated infection rates. Compliance to proper hand hygiene guidelines continues to be low among health care workers. To improve hand hygiene performance and have continued compliance over time, the need to find out what the barriers are need to be sought out. These may include poor access to hand hygiene information, skin irritation, forgetfulness, time constraints, a perception that hand hygiene interferes with worker-patient relationships, lack of knowledge of hand hygiene guidelines, and poor habits learned early in life (KuKanich, Kaur, Freeman, & Powell, 2013, p.
There are numerous of supporting evidence on hand hygiene practices and their impact on hospital-acquired infections. Research studies conclude that educating staff on compliance with hand hygiene appears to be the best way to help reduce transmission of hospital-acquired infections (Mathai, George, & Abraham, 2011). One evidence-based research study used a before-and-after prospective observational intervention study to explore the proposed innovation described below.
It is estimated that the cost of caring for people who contract a healthcare related infection is over 1 billion pounds a year (National Audit Office, 2009), which puts the emphasis on infection prevention and control into perspective. Hand hygiene has been highlighted as a key factor in reducing these incidences of infection and therefore reducing the costs to the NHS. Health care related infections can cause a range of symptoms from mild discomfort to serious, debilitating damage and even death. By reducing costs of avoidable infection, the money saved can be used in other areas of the NHS to improve the service for users and therefore improve the quality of life for many who are
Healthcare-associated infections can occur in any type of healthcare facility. It usually begins from cross contamination from healthcare providers to the patient, however, it can come from other patients, hazardous medical procedures, and contaminated surgical tools too. Healthcare workers play the leading role in preventing healthcare-associated infections. Srigley et al. (2013) stated that “Healthcare worker (HCW) hand hygiene is considered to be one of the most important interventions for the prevention of HAIs and AROs. However HCW hand hygiene is typically poor, with a median compliance of 40%, and few interventions have been demonstrated to result in significant and sustained improvement” In order to
Better infection control practices and hand washing techniques utilized by the general population help to reduce the incidences of easily avoidable conditions, such as impetigo caused by staphylococcal and streptococcal infections. It may be beneficial for public health departments to recommend teachers to teach students on how to properly wash hands and clean high contact fomites.
The systematic review; Interventions to improve hand hygiene compliance in patient care, conducted by the Cochrane Collaboration investigated inventions to improve hand hygiene compliance within patient care. The review included 2 original studies with an additional two new studies (Gould & Moralejo et al., 2010). Throughout the review it was affirmed that among hand hygiene is an indispensable method in the prevention of hospital-acquired infections (HAI), the compliance among nurses’ is inadequate. Nurses are identified within the public as dependable and trustworthy in a time of vulnerability due to their specialised education and skills (Hughes, 2008). Thus, it is imperative that evidence based practice is cond...
Medical asepsis plays an integral role in infection control within a health care facility. It includes procedures used to decrease and prevent direct contact with blood or bodily fluids and emphasizes keeping the environment clean on a regular basis (Curchoe, Astle, & Hobbs, 2014). In order to achieve optimal health, individuals depend on practices and techniques that control and ultimately prevent the transmission of infection. These practices and techniques can help avoid the transmission of infections by creating an environment that protects both health care workers and patients from communicable diseases. Good hand hygiene has been stressed as the single most important measure to prevent cross-infection to patients in health care facilities
This article overall purpose is to inform the importance of knowledge and practice of effective hand hygiene and hand care to prevent or reduce cross-contamination from healthcare personnel to patients (HCP). As the article’s author expressed at the introduction “ Healthcare-acquired infections are a major source of illness and death in hospitalized patients, and approximately 20%-40% of these infections are a result of cross-infection via the hands of healthcare personnel” (Eve Cuny 1)
It is the role of all of the staff within a facility to keep it clean, disinfect, and reduce the number of pathogens that could possibly come into contact with a patient and cause a nosocomial infection. To do this effectively and consistently all the staff should be educated on disinfection guidelines, hospital policy, pathogens, and product information. A system to monitor the effectiveness of these interventions should also be in place. The Centers for Disease Control have created an environmental checklist to aid facilities in monitoring and evaluating room and surface cleaning within the facility (CDC, 2010). A checklist such as the CDC’s used in conjunction with Bartow Regional Hospitals cleaning products and information list should be utilized by environmental services and healthcare staff to act as a guide to aid in effective surface decontamination.
Avoiding infection or, at least, breaking the chain of transmission is vital in any setting, but more so in healthcare environments where infections and vulnerable hosts are moving under the same roof. What needs to be done, then?
Laundry detergents have had a great impact on the society since it helps our life in keeping ourselves clean, lessens our job or the use of our energy in cleaning our appliances. Laundry detergents have come a long way since the very first bar soaps, made from animal fat and lye, were offered for sale in the 1700s. In the 1950s, homemakers had more options of fabric care since the introduction of synthetic detergents were placed on the market. However; during the 1970s, the most significant innovation in advanced cleaning was made available to clean specific types of stains. Every detergent manufacturer has secret ingredients and mixtures to produce their specific brands of laundry detergent. Many of these ingredients are extracted from plants,