In class and in the hospital setting, the use of proper protective gear and performing hand hygiene is greatly emphasized. There is an entire section on proper handwashing technique and the importance of all persons entering or leaving a hospital room of performing proper hand hygiene. Many of the doors at the hospitals use a push or pull set up causing an individual to have to touch a potentially germ ridden item. With the emphasis on preventing the spread of infections, I wondered why hospitals have not implemented foot operated doors. The purpose of this paper is to explore the spread and prevention of nosocomial infections, and the impact that foot operated doors may have on nosocomial infections. While improvements on the prevention of nosocomial infections occurred over the last two decades, hospitals and hospital staff need to continuously evolve their methods and routine to prevent nosocomial infections.
Patients in hospitals or in patient care faculties are unaware of the harmful agents they are exposed to when entering those environments. One harmful agent that can be obtained is a nosocomial infection. There are different types of nosocomial infections and numerous ways of acquiring them. Nosocomial infections are also known as hospital acquired infection (HAI). These infections are seriously life threatening but can be prevented. Nosocomial diseases are among some of the most common and costly medical problems today.
The particular topic of nosocomial is a great one to discuss about because there are a large variety of these that have originated from the hospital. Nosocomial can be defined as a type of disease that is originating in a hospital, and this type of disease has become very well known across the medical field. Nosocomial infections have also been seen within the hospitals mainly because there are workers that work in the hospital that do not practice the correct amount of hygiene regularly. As a result of this unregularly practice this is why people who do not have a disease going into the hospital, usually end up feeling a lot sicker than they did before entering the hospital. Nosocomial infections have been increasing over the years, and we have to learn how to the prevent these from happening within our world. Our hygiene routines needs to be carefully looked at and taken seriously, so we do not have to deal with anymore diseases that originate throughout the hospitals.
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
Introduction
The article Infection Control in Home Care was given by Emily Rhinehart in April 2001. This article is about the home care and infection control in the United States of America. This article stated that, in the past decades, the scope and intensity of home care have increased, whereas the strategies and prevention solutions of infection surveillance and control efforts have fallen behind (Rhinehart, 2001). Lack of applicable and consistent methods for surveillance and acute-care practices of prevention are needed to control infections. The article provides an understanding about the appropriate strategy and need of training to assess the infectious disease and their risk.
With a rise in Health care associated infections, it is necessary for health care professionals to take special precautions to control infection. HAI’s are infections acquired in a health care setting that previously didn’t exist before being admitted into the hospital. Today there is a higher risk of infection than ever before, due to a high elderly population, a growing AIDS population, and chemotherapy. HAI’s are the number one problem seen in patients. Therefore its obvious special precautions must be taken to avoid the spread of infection including treating blood, cuts, or open woods as if its infected, washing your hands before putting on gloves and after taking off your gloves, not touching clean surfaces while your hands are contaminated, wearing gloves if there is a chance you’re going to be touching blood or other secretions, bagging all contaminated items, and cleaning items that may be contaminated with infectious waste.
Sometimes people get infections when they are staying in the hospitals to receive treatment for their health problems. These infections known as health-care associated infections (HAIs) or nosocomial infections. HAIs are acquired in any place where the health care is provided which include acute care hospitals, nonhospital settings such as renal dialysis facilities, mobile surgical centers, and long-term care facilities like nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. HAIs may be caused by any infectious microbes, including fungi, viruses, bacteria, and other less common types of pathogens.
Research supports that evidence-based education innovation can improve hospital-acquired infections by improving staff knowledge, thereby improving compliance with hand hygiene; the evidence-based practice (EBP) innovation proposed is to reduce infection in the hospital by educating staff about the importance of hand hygiene through the implementation of an education program classes. This proposed evidence-based practice (EBP) will enable nurses and other healthcare providers to obtain the information needed to incorporate proper intervention to help eliminate hospital-acquired infections.
Patients acquiring infections while admitted in the hospital has been an ongoing issue in healthcare. Hospital Acquired Infections can result to a lengthy hospital stay for patients, delayed wound healing, and even death. “Elderly patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) who develop an infection during their stay are approximately 35 percent more likely to die within five years of leaving the hospital” ( AORN Journal, 2015, P.5). The hospital supposed to be a place that fosters healing and wellness, not a place where patients contract infections and drive an increase in health care cost. How can workers prevent Hospital Acquired Infections? It’s devastating because many Hospital Acquired Infections can be prevented by simply
The health industry faces challenges on a day to day basis whether its medical errors that have to do with administering wrong drugs, or performing surgery on the wrong patients the list goes on and on. The topic of importance that seems to be overrated is Hospital-Acquired Infections also known as HAIs. According to Health People, “Health Acquired Infections are infections that patients encounter while receiving treatment for medical or surgical conditions” (Anonymous, p.1). It continues to state that HAIs are the 4th leading causes of deaths in the United States and are associated with the increase in healthcare costs each year. HAIs can occur in any form of hospital settings including acute care within hospitals, same day surgical centers, ambulatory at patient care and other long term health facilities like nursing homes or rehabilitation centers. Health Management and professionals should work together to develop guidelines and policies in which hospital staff, and