Why is correct hand washing considered deviant? Children in first world countries are taught from a young age that proper hand washing will protect them from germs and the spread of disease (Lather Up For Good Health, 2010; Handy Saves The Day In Your Pre-School, 2014; Scrubclub.org, 2007). It ingrained into the minds of preschool children that one of the most important ways they can prevent contamination is by washing their hands with soap and water. Hand washing is therefore considered to be one of the only forms of defence against disease. Yet, even though it is important many adults do not continue with the hand washing techniques they are taught in childhood. Especially in hospitals, hand washing compliance levels are low which allows …show more content…
The centre for disease control (CDC) website provides a step by step guide informing the public on the correct way to wash their hands (Cdc.gov, 2015). The CDC has five steps for washing your hands; wet, lather your entire hands, including under your nail, scrub your hand for 20 seconds or the time it takes for you to hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice, rinse and dry (ibid). Preschools are targeted with information about how to make hand washing a memorable and fun activity (Lather Up For Good Health, 2010; Handy Saves The Day In Your Pre-School, 2014; Scrubclub.org 2007) so that it becomes a habit for young children. These resources are sometimes funded by soap manufacturers and, therefore, could be considered a conflict of interest (Handy Saves The Day In Your Pre-School, 2014; Lather Up For Good Health, 2010). A campaign was launched to target remote Australian communities to encourage hand washing with soap which gave confidence to health professionals to support their communities (McDonald et al., 2011). Studies have shown that soap and water is the most effective way to decontaminate hands (Sickbert-Bennett et al., 2005; Grayson et al., 2009). Hand washing is perceived as an important part of the ritual of going to the bathroom or eating food. It is directly associated with cleanliness and if not observed people are considered deviant. Throughout both these …show more content…
Even if a form of disgust intervention was implemented, would the culture eventually become desensitized to the shock value? Every study concerning hand washing techniques has focused on the risk of pathogen contamination. From preschools and schools focused on teaching about contamination (Lather Up For Good Health, 2010; Handy Saves The Day In Your Pre-School, 2014; Scrubclub.org, 2007) to trying to reduce illness related absences from primary school (Priest et al., 2014) to studies aimed as observing handwashing habits within hospitals to create relevant guidelines (Miller, Patrick and Ormrod, 2011). Yet this focus on contamination, I believe, has created within our society the association with risk assessment. So those who do not have independent thought and follow the rules are considered deviant. This issue, within our society, of our need for independence, must be addressed if hand washing culture is to be changed. In conjunction with the disassociation of pathogen
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.
While much of the investigation into the sanitary conditions of the times focused on the working classes, disease and poor sanitation also found their way into the higher classes of society. However, there often remained the prevailing stigma that a dirty body and poor sanitation was the result of some sort of moral failing. Graham Benton puts his finger on this view rather succinctly in his piece which recently appeared in the Dickens Quarterly: "'And Dying Thus Around Us Every Day': Pathology, Ontology and the Discourse of the Diseased Body. A Study of Illness and Contagion In Bleak House." Benton suggests that: "although contagious disease refuses to recognize boundaries of class, it has become aligned with the disenfranchised and disavowed segments of society, and, more significantly, disease became emblematic of other unrelated but equally horrific social ills" (69). Whatever the motivations to end the plight of contagion and unsanitary conditions might have been at the time; it is fair to say that when the spread of disease crossed the invisible boundaries of class that people were spurred into action, albeit not as quickly as they should have.
Health tips. Hand hygiene. (2009). Mayo Clinic Health Letter (English Ed.), 27(12), 3. Retrieved from
V. (2000). Effectiveness of a hospital-wide programme to improve compliance with hand hygiene. The Lancet, 356(9238), 1307-1312.
“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
We take preventative actions in our everyday lives to protect us from harm or mistakes. This may be washing our hands to ensure
Observation of mealtime hand hygiene behaviors occurred during the facility’s meal times, which the assistant administrator emailed to the researcher (7:00, 11:30, and 4:30). One cycle began on different days of the week (Thursday, Wednesday, and Saturday) to determine the adherence to mealtime hand hygiene behaviors under various conditions. All participants received disposable wipes per the facility’s current practice. The researcher observed mealtime hand hygiene behaviors throughout the meal. The researcher began observing as participants entered the dining hall and ended when the participant removed the clothing protector and left the table. Behavior prior to the beginning of the meal was observed but not recorded. If the wipe was placed on table for resident, it was recorded as a visual cue and if it was handed to the resident it was recorded as a nonverbal cue. Verbal cues from healthcare workers were recorded on the Flowsheet for Hand Hygiene Observation (Appendix K). Former participants were observed performing mealtime hand hygiene behaviors during subsequent cycles, but this data was not recorded.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2012) guidelines state that misconceptions about hand hygiene in relation to
Hand hygiene has always been considered a basic and yet, crucial measure for a qualified patient care. The article focuses on the importance of Hand hygiene in nursing and medical degree students since they also have direct contact with patients. The outcomes of the study showed that despite its importance in health environments, hand hygiene technique is not done correctly by many of the students. The article was very enlightening, it used a scientific language that was clear but not much complicated, except for the specific terms used in the methodology. As a nursing student, it was very helpful to learn that hand hygiene must be executed with no flaws and also, when not done properly, it can lead to dangerous consequences. Transmission of
At “Don’t Worry Childcare”, the children and teachers are required to wash their hands during specific times of the day. Both the teachers and students are supposed to wash their hands after using the bathroom. They wash their hands before and after eating snacks and lunch. The teachers make the kids wash up after playing outdoors or leaving the classroom. Lastly, the children and teachers wash their hands after touching bodily fluid including, blood, snot, or spit. I have seen everyone wash their hands at those times. While washing their fingers and hands, I acknowledged the children have sung their ABC’s. They sung them loudly, and happily as if they enjoyed doing so. The teachers observed the children wash their hands to make certain each
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. 1--8.
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
daily practice of washing their bacteria laden hands in water intended for a batch of
Many studies are done on the causes of the spread of infectious disease, and their conclusion has been due to the transfer of germs, bacteria or viruses from one person to another. All the studies come down to the fact that proper hand washing technique can prevent the spread of those diseases. “Every year, lives are lost because of the spread of infections in hospitals. Health care workers can take steps to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. These steps are part of infection control” (Medline Plus). People feel sick or even lose their life because of infectious diseases that are passed by germs from one to another. When it comes to health care providers they have to be really careful because they can become the transferring agent of diseases. When they go from one ill patient to another, they can bring one patient’s germs to another. They need to take the simple precaution of hand washing in between patients to stop diseases from spreading. Health care providers have to be cautious about germs not just for their patients, but also for their own families. Because they can ta...
Effective hand washing is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of germs and to keep you from getting sick, because it prevents transmission of pathogens. But what exactly is the most effective way to wash hands?