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The importance of hand hygiene in healthcare
The importance of hand hygiene in healthcare
Conceptual review of hand hygiene
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5.5. Comparison According to the reviewing of different literature related to the effectiveness of hand washing with soap and Hand rubbing with alcohol based solution. It showed that hand rubbing remove microorganisms are more effective than hand washing, even bacteria, virus and antibiotics resistance bacteria. Hand rubbing require less time and function better effect on the reduction of microbes. Also hand washing procedure limited by sinks. Oppositely, hand rubbing is unlimited. The HCWs can process hand rubbing in anywhere, such as bedside. So the accessibility of hand rubbing is higher than hand washing. So implementing hand rubbing with alcohol based solution in health care setting is more likely increase HCWs with compliance hand …show more content…
There are some organisms from the patient’s own body. During providing care and treatment services to patients, health care workers may become the reservoirs of those organisms. Therefore, it has a high chance of cross-contamination from health care worker and patients in health care setting.Hand hygiene is the infection control measures for preventing health care-associated infections which called nosocomial infection. Here are two hand hygiene methods which are hand washing with soap and hand rub with alcohol concentrations between 62% and 95% can reduce the pathogens on …show more content…
It is because it cannot remove debris and dirt which are the soiled contaminated with proteins, organic matter or blood (Widmer, 2000). Therefore, there are some situations that are not suitable to use alcohol-based hand rub. As the result, using alcohol-based hand rub is a more efficacious hand hygiene method for preventing health care-associated infections. Also, it became a tendency method for hand hygiene. But it is not an option for hand hygiene on some situations. 8. Recommendations In the health care setting, health care workers need to depend on the situation for choosing hand hygiene method. According to the result, using alcohol-based hand rub is an efficacious hand hygiene method. But they may stain their hand during providing services. And this method cannot remove the debris and dirt. Also, it needs to confirm their hand without any dirt before and after working hours for avoiding spread out. In these situations, they choose hand washing better. However, hand washing takes more time and most of the health care workers have heavy workload. Also, there are some conditions which are not feasible for hand washing. In these situations, if their hand without visibly soiled, they choose alcohol-based hand rub better. Therefore, health care workers need to depend on their needed and situation to choose
Alcohol makes the skin spongier. That means that when alcohol is used in the ink or to disinfect the skin’s surface, it allows more chemicals to cross into the bloodstream than ordinary
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
According to CDC policy if the patient before Jean Deere did not have a diagnosis with the possibility of disease transmission, the proper method of hand sanitization would be alcohol based hand rub.
As long as the hand sanitizer contains at least 60 percent alcohol and is used correctly, then it does not matter which form of hand sanitizer is used. Hand sanitizers kill most, but not all of the bacteria and viruses on contact, but it does not work well when there is grime from cooking or gardening because the grime makes a barrier.
“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
Health care facilities - whether hospitals, nursing homes or outpatient facilities - can be dangerous places for the acquisition of infections (EHA). The most common type of nosocomial infections are surgical wound infections, respiratory infections, genitourinary infections and gastrointestinal infection (EHA). Nosocomial infections are those that originate or occur in health care setting (Abedon). They can also be defined as those that occur within 48 hours of hospital admission, 3 days of discharge or 30 days of an operation (Inweregbu). These infections are often caused by breaches of infection control practices and procedures, unclean and non-sterile environmental surfaces, and ill employees (EHA). Immunocompromised patients, the elderly and young children are usually more susceptible to these types of infections. Nosocomial infections are transmitted through direct contact from the hospital staff, inadequately sterilized instruments, aerosol droplets from other ill patients or even the food and water provided at the hospital (EHA). The symptoms of nosocomial infections vary by type but may include inflammation, discharge, fever, abscesses, and pain and irritation at the infection site (Stubblefield).
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
S19 - S25 -. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2012.02.008. Stout, A., Ritchie, K. & Macpherson, K. (2007). Clinical effectiveness of alcohol-based products in increasing hand hygiene compliance and reducing infection rates: a systematic review. Journal Of Hospital Infection, 66 (4), pp. 78-95. 308-312.
Hand decontamination is the use of hand wash or alcohol rub that reduces the number of bacteria on the hands. Hand decontamination is also referred to as ‘hand hygiene’. Hand Hygiene is an integral part of nursing care, as effectively decontaminating hands significantly reduces the risk of pathogens being transferred from one surface to another, or from person to person (NICE, 2014). This means, that through practicing good hand hygiene, nurses can actively reduce the incidences of preventable healthcare associated infections, therefore improving the health and mortality of their patients.
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
Washing of the hands with antiseptic soap after a contact with saliva, open wounds, blood, urine, vomitus or stools. The washing should last for at least 30 seconds. Because of the risk of infection with HIV, protection of the physiotherapist should also include work wear, plastic medical gloves and mask. The physiotherapist should be able to treat each patient as an individual. Human dignity must be respected. Small details such as the use of the first name of the patient, the complete explanation of the whole treatment details and continuous guidance for the patient’s orientation at the place and time are widely applied. The recovering environment of the intensive care unit should include the presence of windows to make the accommodation of the patient more pleasant and help him orientate in time. Applying all that non clinical aspects during the treatment will give a positive outcome on the treatment and together with the experience will make the work much more
“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
Proper hand drying is just as important as hand washing itself, and should be done according to proper procedures. There are several tools to use for this process, but paper towels are considered the most effective because it can loosen dead skin cells and remove bacteria.