Capstone Project Abstract
Background
Hand washing and hand hygiene are consider to be the number one, cheap essential measure of preventing and controlling spread of hospital acquired infections (HAIs). Hand washing and hygiene can significantly reduce the burden of disease, in particular in hospitalized patient Unfortunately compliance to hand hygiene recommended standard procedures by the health care workers (HCWs) has been unacceptably poor. In order to design education program, identification of several risk factors associated with poor hand hygiene (HH) compliance is of extreme importance. Objective: The purpose of this study is to implement a hand hygiene program for
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The identification of several risk factors associated with poor hand hygiene compliance is of extreme importance in the design of an education program .There should be continues education and monitoring of healthcare worker on effective hand washing and hand hygiene. According to an outcome of a study, wearing finger ring, wrist watch, long fingernail and use of hand lotion has impact on spread of infection by healthcare workers (Fagemes &Lingaas 2010. Health care workers that use wrist-watches at work may cause or promote higher total bacteria count than not wearing a watch. A similar situation occurs with finder ring and health care workers should remove finger rings and watches when at work, fingernails should be shorter than 2 mm, so as to reduce HAI (Fagemes &Lingaas 2010).
Description of Present Problem
In America and worldwide, millions of patient are suffering from hospital acquired infections also call nocosomial infection (NIs). This infection rate has high economic effect that is raising daily, rises from $6.5 to $33.8 billion within last 5 years (Spruce 2013). One in every 136 patients admitted to hospital or health facility end up with HAIs and become severely ill causing longer stay in the hospital, thereby increasing the cost of stay and antibiotic treatment. Morbidity rate of HAIs is very high with thousands died every year (Spruce 2013). The most frequently occurring hospital acquired infection is urinary tract
One of the main problems is hand hygiene and evidence suggests that healthcare staff including nurses do not perform this task as often as they should nor do they use the proper procedure. Even though it is
Implementation Processes: The retrospective data of hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers from 2014-2015 were analyzed. Then, integrating the essence data of non-compliance with hand hygiene from fish bones analysis to develop patient engagement intervention—Hand Hygiene Compliance Process Flow Chart—for improving hand hygiene compliance. The PDSA development cycles, and WHO measures hand hygiene compliance were conducted to test the feasibility of the intervention within 10 days. The staff members working in the oncology unit were a target; 20-30 members were tested for daily hand hygiene compliance. The processes were: PDSA cycle 1: the pilot test by educating two patients about hand hygiene. As a result of this cycle, we adapted
CDCs clean hands count campaign aim to improve healthcare provide adherence to hand hygiene recommendations, address, myths and misperceptions about hand hygiene and empower patients to play a role in their care by asking or reminding healthcare providers to clean their hands and the most germs that cause serious infections in healthcare are spread by people’s action, every patient is at risk of getting an infection while they are being treated for something else, hand hygiene is a great way to prevent infections and healthcare providers clean their hands less than half of the time they should, good hand washing is the first line of defense against the spread of many illness.
Generations of people have considered handwashing a measure of personal hygiene. In 1847, Dr. Semmelweis insisted that healthcare providers wash their hands with disinfecting agents between patients. This early hand hygiene practice resulted in a decrease in mortality rates among hospital patients (CDC, 2002). The CDC’s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee published the Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings in 2002 that is based on hand hygiene foundations developed in generation past. In 2014, this guideline is still available online and used as a reference
Good hand hygiene is the simplest, yet proven strategy to counteract hospital infection. However, the difficulties of achieving good levels of compliance are well noted in the literature. There are several seeming barriers to carry out adequate hand hygiene:
This study was intended to prove that hand hygiene practiced according to the CDC guidelines will decrease the incidence of hospital acquired infections. This could not really be proved in this study since the hospitals were not able to maintain improvement in hand hygiene. Health care workers were familiar with guidelines but significant practice changes were not maintained. Some of the infection rates did improve during this time but the correlation with hand hygiene is not consistent. There were other practice changes occurring during this same time and those changes may be responsible for the decreased infection rates.
This assignment shall be identifying the evidence underpinning the skills and professional approach required in patient care. Hand hygiene is seen as a form of action that is done by using your hands to prevent the spread of harmful germs and infections, this action is performed by both healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients before assisting with personal care involving touching. There are many different types of hand hygiene actions taken in the UK, these include Surgical Antisepsis, wearing gloves, washing your hands with a soap or alcohol-based formulation hand wash. It is important to always remain protected when touching a patient, their surroundings or body fluid.
There are numerous evidence-based practice interventions that have become standard nursing practices across the country. Hand hygiene is a nursing practice intervention that is currently evidence (research) based. It is one of, if not the most, important interventions practiced in providing standardized care. The rationale behind that statement refers to the high percentage of hospital acquired infections; hand hygiene practices are measures used for maximum effectiveness in reducing the spread of these infections. Compared to the various health care professionals who come in contact with patients when providing care, nurses are by far the largest faction that implements the highest quantity of direct patient care in health care. That said, of all the asepsis precautions, techniques, and interventions that are currently in place, hand hygiene is the single most effective intervention used by nurse to prevent themselves from infection and the cross-infection to their patients. Although this evidence-based intervention is of utmost importance to implement at all times, research shows the difficulty in influencing nurses and other health care professionals to practice hand hygiene as often as recommended.
Another problem that goes with the lack of hand-hygiene compliance is the many excuses that healthcare workers use to avoid washing their hands. Hass and Larson summarize (2009) some of the barriers to adherence that healthcare workers use, “a lack of access to hand-washing sinks, insufficient time, skin irritations, and lack of accountability” (Hass & Larson, 2009). Some solutions they explain to combat the barriers are to put more alcohol-based sanitizers where sinks are not around and placing them all over the patient care areas also reduces time and can be a suitable way for proper hand hygiene if the healthcare worker’s hand is not soiled. They also describe, “Involve staff in trying several alcohol-based hand sanitizers before deciding on one, and involve employee health services in creating a plan to manage hand-skin problems among staff. Alcohol-based sanitizers that have lotion in them can be helpful for staff who have very sensitive skin” (Hass & Larson, 2009).
Keeping our hands clean is one of the most effcient and important steps we can do as humans to avoid getting sick or spreading germs to other people. Unwashed hands spread many diseases such as the flue, E. coli, and salmonella. Unfortunately, hand hygiene is still one of today’s most leading causes of infection in health care facilities. The risk of clinicians, patients, and visitors not complying with hand hygiene protocols creates a practice problem for nurses and their patient care. The cause of health care infections, also known as, health care-associated infections (HAIs) are increasing along with the rise of the inability to control or treat infections that are multi-drug resistant. Lack of proper hand hygiene is a major problem in clinical settings sourcing from critical care divisions where the most contaminations are prevalent. This paper will discuss how hand hygiene affects the nursing process and solutions of how to better prevent HAIs within the nursing scope of practice.
Prevention strategies of nosocomial infections related to poor hand hygiene include revision of: orientation, training processes, competency assessments, equipment cleaning, handwashing procedures, switching to the use of single-use IV flush vials, adding strategically located waterless hand rubs, defining supervisory expectations, conducting in-services, team trainings, and tracking systems (Infection control related sentinel events, 2003). Potential solutions to noncompliance include: consistent skin protectant application, reduced time required for handwashing, and antiseptic stations at the bedside and room entry points (Boyce, 1999). Hospital administrators must create an organizational atmosphere in which adherence to recommended HH practices are considered an integral part of providing high-quality care (Boyce, 1999). Improvement in infection control
Healthcare associated infections have an impact on patients - how? Can be prevented greatly with compliance to hand hygiene protocols (REF).
Hand hygiene practices are important thing to infection prevention and control practice. As health provider especially ED staff or front liner, to follow hand washing protocols is necessary in any situation. According Practice Standard (2009) four major elements to preventing practice; hand washing, protective barriers, care of equipment and health practice of nurse. Cite from Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland, scientists has found around 45% of infections can be prevented by washing hands regularly. MOH (2010) increasing in hand-washing compliance by
K., & Olivo, J. (2015). ORIGINAL PAPER. Assessing Healthcare Associated Infections and Hand Hygiene Perceptions amongst Healthcare Professionals. International Journal Of Caring Sciences, 8(1), 108-114.
During high school as a juniors and seniors the time comes to research, visit, and apply for colleges or scholarship seeing that it is a huge impact and decisions that can completely change your future. There are different types of extended studying after high school for example trade school, community colleges, Historically black college universities (HBCU), Predominantly white universities (PWI), All women colleges or All male colleges. When looking into what college you would like to attend you should also keep in mind the major and the specified programs for that major that the schools offers. No one can give you the insight better than someone who experienced it first hand