Introduction
There are some guidelines that are set by the healthcare fraternity across the world to guide people and particularly, healthcare workers, on how to wash hands. These guidelines also offer information on the use of antiseptics and other hand washing or hand hygiene practices that will improve the process of preventing the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms. Without this, there could be serious infections resulting from the transfer of disease-causing microorganisms from the medical personnel to the patients.
Why hand Washing?
Hand washing is considered the most critical process of preventing the spread of infection in medical care. There are transient microorganisms found on the hands of healthcare workers which they contact as they carry out their daily routine of patient care (Billings & Halstead, 2009, p. 45). This way, the workers pose a greater risk of passing on dangerous bacteria or any other causative agent to the patients.
When should hands be washed?
It is very important to wash hands regularly and in a healthcare facility, this should be done as often as the care provider wants to begin and when he/she has finished a task (Billings & Halstead, 2009, p. 45).
- Hands must be washed before handling a client and after finishing with him/her (DeYoung, 2009, p. 56).
- Hands should also be washed before and after handling invasive devices in the healthcare facilities like catheters and respiratory equipment.
- Before and after giving the patient an injection, heel sticks or finger sticks
- Before and after handling body fluids like blood or other substances.
- After taking off one’s gloves after work (DeYoung, 2009, p. 56).
- Before handling any immune-suppressed patient
- And also, before and after engaging in activities like handling food, going to the toilet and sneezing and coughing(Billings & Halstead, 2009, p. 49)
A clinical Hand wash
This is the process of cleaning hands done by medical practitioners following a clinical procedure on patients, when the patient has been isolates, or when there is has been an emergency, like an outbreak of a disease (Boyce & Pittet, 2002, p. 23). Anti-microbial soap is used for this process as it contains an antiseptic agent. Members of the hospital staff who have to do the clinical hand wash are guided on the procedure and are usually trained on the same. There is also an orientation process to make sure that they totally understand what they are doing. If the caregiver is unsure of the process is required to ask the coordinator in charge of that training (Pittet et al, 2003, p. 126).
Demographic Information
An increasingly higher number of nurses comply with the hand washing regulation and guidelines as opposed to doctors (Pittet et al, 2003, p. 127). Although it might look paradoxical that recent infection epidemics emerged from the intensive care units, this is the place that has the busiest services by the staff (DeYoung, 2009, p. 59). The problem is that ordinary dirt can be seen and this problem is quite perpetual. That type of dirt can be removed by washing with a certain detergent and water. However, germs are invisible and can at times fail to be removed by ordinary soap, thereby requiring the use of chlorinated soap or an antiseptic (Boyce & Pittet, 2002, p. 25).
The other part of this problem is cognitive, and doctors and nurses assume that they actually wash their hands more frequently than they ought to. In fact, some think that hand washing is too much of a 19th-century procedure and the new 21st-century technology innovation in medical care is better (Moret et al, 2004, p. 385). This is what has given doctors a false impression of security, or medical safety.
Gender and Generation
There has been an improvement in the area of hand washing following a campaign by many organizations. More adults now wash their hands, at 85%. The younger people tend to ignore this fact and assume that they do not have germs on their hands (Earl et al, 2001, p. 27). Still, on the same issue, more women wash their hands after visiting the restroom in comparison with their male counterparts. Only 7% of women did not wash their hands according to a study by CDC, and 23% of men failed to wash their hands in public places like restrooms (Moret et al, 2004, p. 385).
Hand washing in a Community Setting
When there is running water, people can their hands with soap and water. The process includes rolling up sleeves and wetting up the hand to wrist level, then applying soap to cover every surface of the hand (Earl et al, 2001, p. 29). One has to clean fingernails and between the fingers. Rinse off the soap thoroughly to take out all leather traces. Dry the hands with a clean cloth and turn off the tap. When the water is not running, a container can be used to pour out the water to mimic running water and use the same process as in running water situations (Moret et al, 2004, p. 385).
Conclusion
The measuring tools that are available to assess compliance with the hand washing guidelines are basically observational. This means that the coordinator of these training has to observe when practitioners wash their hands and when they do it. However, to ensure compliance, education and training are very critical. Employees should be trained on the importance of maintaining hand hygiene. They should master how to wash hands and when to do it. Maintaining hand hygiene is a very simple routine, but improving compliance over time needs dedication to the program, leadership, worker collaboration and availability of the hand hygiene essentials. There needs to be also the feedback compliance and information on the rates of infection as well as personal accountability.
Reference List
Billings, D.M., & Halstead, J. A. (2009). Teaching in Nursing: A Guide for Faculty (3rd Ed.). St Louis, MO: Saunders.
Boyce, J. M., & Pittet, D. (2002). Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings. Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force. Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America/Association for Professionals in Infection Control/Infectious Diseases Society of America. MMWR Recomm Rep , 2(51):1–45.
DeYoung, S. (2009). Teaching Strategies for Nurse Educators (2nd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Earl, M. L, et al. (2001). Improved rates of compliance with hand antisepsis guidelines: a three-phase observational study. Am J Nurs, 101(3):26–33.
Moret, L., Tequi, B & Lombrail, P. (2004). Should Self-Assessment Methods Be Used to Measure Compliance with Hand washing Recommendations? A Study Carried Out In A French University Hospital, Am J Infect Control, 32 (7): 384 -390.
Pittet, D., Mourouga, P., & Perneger, TV. (2003). Compliance with handwashing in a teaching hospital. Infection Control Program, Ann Intern Med, 130(2):126-30.