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Effect of hand hygiene on the health care system
Effect of hand hygiene on the health care system
Brief overview of literature on hand hygiene
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Knowledge and Skills: Hand Hygiene
Healthcare associated infections play pivotal role in the mortality and morbidity among hospitalised patients all over the world. This mainly occurs through contaminated hands of healthcare workers. Therefore, hand hygiene has been considered the most important infection control measure for long time (Mani et al, 2010).
Hand hygiene, when done correctly is the most effective technique to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. It prevents nosocomial infections and transmissions of bacteria from one patient to another (Carter 2002). Hand hygiene has been highlighted significantly by many public health committees as an important aspect of delivering good quality care in health care settings (Lankford,
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The use of Hand washing products and alcohol gels have shown that alongside each other they work efficiently (CDC 2014). However it is vital that one does not replace the other, for example the use of alcohol-based gel alone, as that product will only eradicate certain viruses, and communicable diseases (Boyce & Pittet 2002). Furthermore healthcare workers maintaining an adequate level of hand hygiene promotes a positive care environment and safeguards both patients and staff. This leads to healthcare workers providing good quality care to their patients as they are complying with the hand hygiene requirements (Lankford 2003). In addition alcohol gels have shown to work efficiently alongside the washing of hands (Harabarth et al, 2002), this product has many great advantages of which are that healthcare workers are able to carry their own sample of the product and consistently use it when needed. This makes is less of an hassle for care workers as there are times were they are rushed and lack time to go back and forth to a dispenser. Worldwide organisations such as WHO have recognised the impact of hand hygiene and how it supports infection control and it reduces the risk of disease transmission (2009). WHO’s campaign ‘’Clean Care is Safer Care’’ shows ways in which healthcare …show more content…
Aneroid sphygmomanometer is very easy model to use; healthcare workers would not have any difficulty using this model (Kroll 2015). Pre 2009 healthcare workers were able to use mercury sphygmomanometers in their care settings, however the European Commission banned the sale of any of these models as the dangers of the sphygmomanometers were highlighted (Turney 2009). An advantage of using a mercury sphygmomanometer is that it’s very easy to read as it’s a simple model that uses the force from gravity to show accurate readings. However spillage of the mercury inside the model is very dangerous as it can cause poisoning (Kroll 2015). A study carried out by A ‘Court et al (2011) showed that electronic sphygmomanometers worked as good as mercury models, although they are no longer use due to EU regulations being changed (MHRA 2013). However they found that the aneroid sphygmomanometer had a high rate of failing and did not work as properly as other
Washing your hands properly with soap is one of the most important things you can do to reduce the number of germs, or infections you can spread. The issue that needs to be addressed, is how can we promote good hand washing habits efficiently, to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. For this reason, Kohler will be introducing the “Hygieia” in Q3 of 2016. The Hygieia is a hands free motion detecting sink that dispenses water, and soap simultaneously.
Parents and teachers encourage children to wash their hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, touching dirty objects, and sometimes before eating. Next to every tissue box there will most likely be a bottle of hand sanitizer that kills 99.9% of germs. Both hand soap and hand sanitizer kill off the germs and bacteria that can cause infections and diseases. Which one works best? The purpose of this experiment is to show which is more effective, hand soap or hand sanitizer (Bjornsson). To prove this, Bjornsson writes up a lab using the growth of bread mold to help identify the results of both products (Bjornsson). I believe that hand soap works better than hand sanitizers because doctors remind us that we should wash our hands especially during flu season to keep us healthy. Therefore, the hypothesis for this lab is that the hand soap will be the better alternative and will slow down the growth of bread mold more than the hand sanitizer in this experiment.
Health tips. Hand hygiene. (2009). Mayo Clinic Health Letter (English Ed.), 27(12), 3. Retrieved from
Four body fluids that would be considered biohazardous waste are blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and cerebral spinal fluid.
“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
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 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
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
“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
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...
The studies provided in the literature review prove that. It is believed that hand washing is the best thing to do to kill bacteria but as study show hand sanitizing is more efficient (Michaels, 2014). The experiment mentioned before done at the University College of Health Studies proves that hand sanitizing is the best way to kill bacteria in hands (2015). The best way to prevent hospital acquired infections is to wash hands in situations where it is necessary, like when hands are visibly soiled, and use hand sanitizer in situations that are appropriate. In other words use your judgment. Because studies also show that washing hands too often can have damaging effects to hands it is not recommended to use hand washing only (Michaels, 2014). It takes about 20 seconds to wash your hands and 5 seconds to use hand sanitizer. Such a big difference can be made in the prevention of hospital acquired infections by just performing that very simple task that doesn’t take very long to do and so many lives can be saved as
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
Hair can become greasy, skin can appear porous and dry, and bodily odours can start to arise. These are caused from a build-up of sweat from the glands within the skin which can lead to an increase in bacteria.
Our bodies are ecosystems that have evolved over time to deal with a variety of infectious agents and microorganisms, such as worms and other parasites. The hygiene hypothesis states that although we have shifted rapidly into a clean, modern and civilized state, our bodies have not yet adapted, and our immune system is responding inappropriately with an increased susceptibility to allergies and autoimmune diseases.
“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