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Importance of hand hygiene in hospitals
Importance of hand hygiene in hospitals
Importance of hand hygiene in hospitals
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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 …show more content…
(2014) shed light on two key components for infection control, which includes protecting patients from acquiring infections and protecting health care workers from becoming infected (Curchoe et al., 2014). The techniques that are used to protect patients also provide protection for nurses and other health care workers alike. In order to prevent the spread of infections, it is important for health care workers to be meticulous and attentive when providing care to already vulnerable patients (Curchoe et al., 2014). If a health care worker is aware they may contaminate the surroundings of a patient, they must properly clean, disinfect, and sterilize any contaminated objects in order to reduce or eliminate microorganisms (Curchoe et al., 2014). It is also ideal to change gloves after contact with contaminated secretions and before leaving a patient’s room (Curchoe, 2014). Research suggests that due to standard precaution, gloves must be worn as a single-use item for each invasive procedure, contact with sterile sites, and non-intact skin or mucous membranes (Curchoe et al., 2014). Hence, it is critical that health care workers change gloves during any activity that has been assessed as carrying a risk of exposure to body substances, secretions, excretions, and blood (Curchoe et al., …show more content…
The RCA began with giving a client a bed bath and perineal care and continued to use these same gloves to dress the client, comb his hair, and make his bed. This can be a dangerous method of introducing pathogens and causing contamination, as the gloves could potentially be soiled with bodily fluids and then transferred to new bed sheets. It is absolutely essential that health care workers follow specific principles and procedures given by health care authorities to prevent infection and control its spread. Using basic medical aseptic techniques will aid in the process of breaking the chain of infection. In essence, health care workers are responsible for providing a patient with a safe environment, which means they need to take the necessary steps in order to avoid spreading infections. These steps include changing their gloves after coming in contact with bodily fluids and then going on with completing the rest of their tasks (Curchoe et al., 2014). Infection control can only be effective if nurses and their colleagues are consistent in using aseptic techniques. Curchoe et al. (2014) state that although it can be easy to overlook important procedural steps or take shortcuts that break aseptic procedures while in a hurry, health care workers must realize that the patient becomes more vulnerable for infection, which can ultimately hinder their recovery
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There are several benefits to double-gloving that have been supported by recent studies [1-4]. By double-gloving, it has been shown that the transfer of virus to healthcare workers’ hands is significantly decreased, as compared to single gloving [1]. Perhaps the incidence of nosocomial infections could be reduced if double-gloving were a requirement in healthcare settings. In the operating room (OR), double-gloving has been shown to provide superior protection against potential exposure to blood-borne pathogens [2]. Breaking the barrier between an OR nurses’ hands and the external environment was shown to occur in 8.9% of cases in one study in which single-gloving was practiced during surgical procedures [2]. Remarkably, in the same study, it was shown that when double-gloving was practiced, there was not a single case of both layers of gloves being perforated [2]. From the evidence provided in that study, one could assume that when double-gloving is practiced, it is virtually impossible for the hands of a healthcare worker to become exposed to the external environment during a sur...
During periods of the norovirus outbreak, adequate and specific nursing care is extremely important in order to care for the elderly in the aged care setting. Nursing care such as personal care and skin hygiene care is important. As residents become infected with the norovirus, their personal care plans need to be changed. Full personal protective equipment (PPE) such as eye protection, glasses, face shields, googles ,aprons and gowns must be worn while assisting affected residents. This is necessary because this protective equipment protects nurses from getting the virus therefore minimising the chances of it spreading (NSW Government, 2015). Nurses need to be able to perform hand hygiene with antiseptic soap for 20-30 seconds before assisting
“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
Weston, Debbie. Infection Prevention and Control: Theory and Clinical Practice for Healthcare Professionals. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons, 2008. Print.
As humans when we are faced with any psychological or emotional problems, our initial thought is to turn to a therapist, doctor or any other health practitioners. Our initial thought when we are faced with problems regarding our health is to turn to a health professional because for ages that’s how it has been. When it comes to our health, health professionals nowadays do more harm than help. Many might disagree, but often patients are misdiagnosed with mental illnesses they do not have. Misdiagnosis occurs when a therapist or other health practitioners decide that a patient is suffering from a condition that he or she may not be suffering with. When misdiagnosed, patients are given unnecessary treatment, which could potentially
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
Have you even been stuck in a hospital room for days or months? If not, do you know someone, and have you notice a change. They might be experiencing ICU Psychosis. Here’s a real story shared by Welker, M. MSN “My mother was in ICU for four days and upon moving to a regular room she developed extreme paranoia and was very agitated. She wanted to call the police because the medical staff was trying to kill her. She told several family members they were mean to put her in a place like this, she was surely going to die. It was very scary to see such a change in her mental state”(2016).
“Failure to attend to hand hygiene has serious consequences: it has a negative effect on patient safety and the quality of patients’ lives, as well as on their confidence in healthcare delivery. However, the prevalence of hand hygiene omission is still high” (Canadian Disease Control, 2016 p 1). Washing hands before and after patient contact seems like a simple solution to prevent the spread of bacteria between patients. But it is not as simple as it seems.According to new CDC data, “approximately one in 25 patients acquires a health care-associated infection during their hospital care, adding up to about 722,000 infections a year. Of these, 75,000 patients die from their infections ( CDC, 2016 p 1).” Leaving a finacial burden on Canada’s health care
patients from acquiring microorganisms that may be on the hands of nurses. WHO also states that a health care worker should remove gloves after caring for a patient and not wear the same pair of gloves when caring for more than one patient. However, wearing gloves does not provide complete protection and also stated that wearing gloves does not take the place of hand hygiene. In addition to monitoring of glove usage should be incorporated in the routine hand hygiene skills and competency.
The Importance of Safe and Hygienic work Practices of Alzheimer’s Patient Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has found out that it is because of poor hand hygiene that infections are spread around healthcare facilities faster. It is important to have a safe and hygienic work practices for both carer and the client. And when dealing with clients it is necessary to wash hands after being in contact with every client this shows good hand hygiene. This will prevent the spread of diseases such as MRSA. Pads should always be change and cleaned after the client has left stool.
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...
In order to prevent spread of infection, proper steps are needed to be performed everyday and after almost every task. Although this may seem drastic, it is important to keep patients, loved ones and yourself free from infections. In the brochure, Five Things You Can do To Prevent Infection (2015), outlines ways how to prevent microbes from entering the body. This brochure would benefit both healthcare providers and non-healthcare workers. The practices depicted in this brochure help aid and protect harmful microbes from potentially causing infection in the body. Although these steps have been created to help one with infection control, infection-causing microbes still posses the capability of entering the body via other alternative routes.
Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) are common across health settings. Physical symptoms which do not fit any known medical illness or where examination and investigation do not reveal any distinct pathology are termed as MUS. Many terms have been used as synonyms to MUS like functional, somatic symptoms, functional overlay, hysterical symptoms, bodily symptoms, and to the extent of labeling it as malingering or factitious. The prevalence of MUS is around 40-49% in primary care patients and likely to more in general hospital settings( Haller et al 2014). Chronic pain syndromes, Chronic fatigue syndromes, fibromyalgia can often be diagnosed to have MUS.
“Researchers in London estimate that if everyone routinely washed their hands, a million deaths a year could be prevented” (“Hygiene Fast Facts”, 2013, p. 1). Hands are the number one mode of transmission of pathogens. Hands are also vital in patient interaction, and therefore should be kept clean to protect the safety of patients and the person caring for the patient. Hand hygiene is imperative to professional nursing practice because it prevents the spread of pathogens, decreases chances of hospital-acquired infections, and promotes patient safety. There is a substantial amount of evidence that shows why hand hygiene is important in healthcare