Disposable Wash Basin Essay

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Benefits of Disposable Wash Basins in Patient Care
Healthcare providers have an ethical and moral responsibility to provide the best care possible to their patients. It is imperative that the patient feels confident that they are in a safe and sterile environment. In order to provide such an atmosphere, the hospitals enforce a high level of care that includes skilled nurses. This skilled nursing care provides patients safe and effective treatment that encompasses the prevention of further complications, such as hospital-acquired infections. According to the CDC (2016), about 1 in 25 hospital patients has, at least, one healthcare-associated infection on any given day. The issue of hospital-acquired infections, which are avoidable and preventable, …show more content…

Once the nurse has completed her bed bath she simply throws the basin away, performs hand hygiene, and continues with her care. There is no need to waste time washing this basin, and this is very important to nurses and their morale. Additionally, the cost of treating an HAI in comparison to the cost of these basins is profound. Once it has been documented that a patient has acquired an infection from treatment, or merely from his/her stay in a long term facility, the insurance companies no longer provide reimbursement for the necessary care of that infection. The hospital, therefore, loses a significant amount of money. The patient may require a longer stay, antibiotics, and even mechanical ventilation. For patients who are most at risk, such as patients in the Intensive Care Unit, intense attention to detail should be made to prevent any further infections, for they can be fatal. This is also true of the Medical Surgical Unit, which may have patients who are elderly or immunocompromised. According to the American Journal of Critical Care (2016), “Multiple studies have shown that the cost of care is even higher in hospitalized patients in whom methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections develop.” It is thus imperative to prevent such a need for that type of treatment, and disposable basins may be a part of the

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