Implementing a Staff Hand Washing Program within an Acute Medical Unit
Research Details
There has been growing concerns among health workers on how to maintain a healthy environment at the work place. Hospital-acquired infections are among the most dangerous complications and they have been reported to claim the lives of many health workers. The major cause of hospital-acquired infection is failure by healthcare workers to observe hand hygiene. Hand hygiene involves washing one’s hands with soap and water or disinfecting them after making contact with sick persons or infected surfaces. There has been sloppiness in the compliance with hand hygiene among health workers (Lam, Lee, & Lau 2004).
Research Question
How can health workers be encouraged to adhere to hand hygiene recommendations in a health care unit?
Research Aims
• The research seeks to establish effective means of ensuring that health workers comply with hand hygiene recommendations.
• To create awareness among health workers on the importance of hand hygiene
Research Design
The research seeks to create awareness through training and putting up posters throughout the health unit, which will serve as guide to workers and individuals working or visiting it (Baker, Norton, & Flintoft 2004). The research will apply a quasi-experimental technique to determine the effects of observing hand hygiene with respect to disease prevention and development of a healthy work force. In addition, it will use the randomized cross over method to determine whether the culture in the health unit will be changed (Kretzer & Larson1998). It is expected that the posters will randomly influence the health workers to adhere to the hand hygiene recommendations (Marena et al. 2002).
Res...
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I should comfort the nurse and ask to do hand hygiene and taught advantages of hand hygiene. Marram (2009) stated that healthcare professional team needs to constant communicate to plan strategies, solve problems and evaluate progress (pg.28-30). I learn that health professional team needs excellent interaction to provide excellent care of resident. According to Smith (2015), “leadership can successful by fair conversation with healthcare provider, staff, p-patient, regulator and insurance company. Without conversation, there is no management, without management; there is no success in our healthcare system”.
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.
Four body fluids that would be considered biohazardous waste are blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and cerebral spinal fluid.
Health tips. Hand hygiene. (2009). Mayo Clinic Health Letter (English Ed.), 27(12), 3. Retrieved from
Waltman, P. A., Schenk, L. K., Martin, T. M., & Walker, J. (2011). Effects of Student Participation in Hand Hygiene Monitoring on Knowledge and Perception of Infection Control Practices. Journal Of Nursing Education, 50(4), 216-221. doi:10.3928/01484834-20110228-06
“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
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
Neonatal intensive care units are normally thought as a safe place for a neonatal to be, but there are instances where the neonatal develops an infection in their fragile bodies. This paper examines the ways that they could develop infections that harm them. The ANA states, “individuals who become nurses are expected to adhere to the ideals and morals norms of the profession and also to embrace them as a part of what it means to be a nurse.” (Code of Ethics, n.d.). German NICUs participated in a study of very low birth weight infants (VLBW) from 2006-2011 and found that an outbreak of severe neonatal infection occurred within a period of time in the same center in four different patients (Schwab, 2014).
“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
Explain how to address personal hygiene with an individual in a sensitive manner without imposing own values. The care workers should aware of the individual needs and choices and should be respected. Using tact, diplomacy, confidence-building and self-management schemes are essential. You would talk to the person in private, or identify the best person to deliver the message to the person.
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.
V. (2000). Effectiveness of a hospital-wide programme to improve compliance with hand hygiene. The Lancet, 356(9238), 1307-1312.
Whitby, M., Pessoa-Silva, C., Mclaws, M., Allegranzi, B., Sax, H., Larson, E., Seto, W., Donaldson, L. & Pittet, D. (2007). Behavioural considerations for hand hygiene practices: the basic building blocks. Journal Of Hospital Infection, 65 (1), pp. 113-114. 1--8.
Thus, for the purpose of this paper, I will be describing a scenario that I witnessed where a Registered Care Aide (RCA) provided care in an inappropriate manner by means of hand hygiene and highlight the importance of infection control as a way to minimize nosocomial infections and contamination of the surrounding
“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