Safety First: Standard Precautions in the Operating Department.

Dirty hands is the common source of spreading infection. It is very important to keep hands clean to avoid getting infected and spreading infection in the community. It is important to wash hands to keep hands clean. There are two ways to keep hand clean, one way is wash hands with soap and warm water while rubbing hands together for minimum 15 to 30 seconds. Indication of washing hands with soap and water is when hands are visibly dirty, before and after eating, feeding, using the toilet, after coughing or sneezing, after using gloves, taking care of patients. There is also second way to clean hands, but it is advisable to wash hands with soap and water all the time, but it can ignore when soap and water is not available so it is okay to use hand gel or foam in the form of sanitizer. This helps to clean hands or kill germs when hands are not visibly dirty.

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

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.

Cicconi, Claypool, and Stevens managed a quality improvement project to record data of how effective and beneficial the recommended practice of double gloving during surgery. The purpose of their quality improvement project is to decrease the amount of possible pathogen to skin contact from punctured gloves, reduce the amount of sharps injuries in the operating room, and to create awareness for healthcare clinicians of any potential biohazards in the workplace. Before the start of their project, their data in the year of 2006 showed that there were 26 surgery exposures out of 61 total hospital exposures (42.6% total exposure).

In the 1966 film, Fantastic Voyage, world famous scientist Jan Benes suffers a stroke after being attacked on his way to the United State Combined Miniature Deterrent Forces (CMDF) lab. He possesses vital information that the US needs in order to defeat the Soviet Union, so they put Benes into a coma to prevent his brain from hurting itself further. Dr. Peter Duval, the lead surgeon, informs Mr. Benes’s Secret Service handler that the injured part of Benes’s brain is located in an area that they cannot operate on without fatally injuring the man. Their only option is to shrink an expert team of four engineers and scientists, along with Mr. Benes’s Secret Service handler, down to microscopic size and inject them through Jan Benes’s carotid artery

As outlined in Crow et al (8) following the standard precautions in wound management is essential to protecting the patient and health care provider from contamination of microbes. Microbes are essentially everywhere, on the body and in the environment (8). They are often found on equipment in the hospitals, long term care facilities, clinical care settings and are easily carried on the hands of health care providers (8). Health care providers are known to be great reservoirs for resistant microbes such as methicillin-resistance S.aureus (MRSA) (8). Lack of understanding and adherence of the standard precautions, i.e. proper hand washing, pose risk for microbes to be transferred from patient to patient and to be introduced into a patient`s wound (11). The susceptibility to infection is also much higher in certain patient populations (immunosuppressed, elderly, nutritional impaired) despite the strength or pathogenicity of the microbes

The topics discussed in the brochure was the main challenge faced by people of the community when ill and taking to the hospital. Most nurses will fail to perform hand hygiene in carrying out procedures like indwelling catheter, wound dressing and so on thereby introducing and adding to the problems of the patients by bringing in pathogens. Health care associated infections (HAIs) are a major patient safety issue, resulting in a significant level of morbidity and mortality in the United States each year (Allen, G., 2015, Pg

Outside of the actual act of washing your hands, the easiest step in cleanliness is not wearing any jewelry. Regardless if it is removed prior to handwashing, jewelry is prohibited for all staff who come in contact with patients as it is possible for micro-organisms to survive on the jewelry (Western University 21). Furthermore, although it is hard to know if bacteria is present, long nails and/or the use of nail polish increases the places that bacteria can be harboured (Western University 21). Lastly, the best way to protect and care for you and your patients is by simply washing your hands. When doing so, lather your hands for 15 seconds with soap, thoroughly rinse off with warm water, then dry your hands and turn off the tap with paper towel. This must be done both before and after any contact with a patient, regardless of the scenario. Moreover, if applicable, must also be washed before any aseptic procedures as well as after exposure to any bodily fluids. As an alternative to hand washing the London Health Science Centre has installed an increased amount of alcohol based rub dispensers throughout its locations (Western University 22). Thus, in an attempt to increase access and reach compliance goals for patients, staff, and visitors. These rubs may be used as long as there is no visible dirt, food or other substances on your hands. To properly sterilize your hands ensure that hands are rubbed together until all of the solution dissolves and hands are dry. The following methods are not only essential protocol for all staff to follow but are the best way to prevent the spread of

As we all know, patient safety in a healthcare setting is extremely important and is to be taken very seriously. This is a very challenging topic with any healthcare establishment, because people do make errors and it’s only human. It is everybody’s job within the facility, hospital, or any healthcare setting to work on making sure that the safety of every patient that enters and leaves their building is safe. We want patients to feel safe and confident when they have to go to the hospital for a procedure, or even to a skilled nursing facility to have rehabilitation or to eventually stay long term.

Hello Mary. I agree there is a need for increased fall education and patient safety awareness of staff. We play a vital role in patient safety and quality improvement. I believe that being a nurse is a constant learning, we learn as we practice. Nursing research helps us to bring forth more efficient nursing care. According to Beck and Polit, it is important to emphasize the clinical nursing research to guide nursing practice and to improve the health and quality of life of our patients (2012). Unfamiliar environment, illnesses, and treatment increase the risk of the patient for falls. We are restraint free in our long-term care unit. Staffs are always looking for alternatives to prevent falls such as medication changes, alarms, 1:1 sitter,

Healthcare associated infections have an impact on patients - how? Can be prevented greatly with compliance to hand hygiene protocols (REF).

Health facility approved clean, freshly laundered surgical attire has been shown to aid in containing the shedding and dispersal of skin cells into the environment. Surgical site infections (SSI) has proven to be a major problem for both the hospital and patient. Because the human body is known to be reservoir for bacterial and other microorganism. The purpose of the surgical attire is to protect the patient and staff by maintaining a limited microbial spread. In order to maintain a clean environment and adhere to OSHA regulations, surgical attire must be

Sterile conditions is important when working in patients rooms or using the instruments when caring for wounds or surgery. The Aseptic technique is used to keep patients free from hospital micro-organisms as much as possible. While working in patients rooms with open wounds make sure that you are using good hygienic practice. Hand washing, the use of PPE, and sterile instruments are a must to reduce the spread of infections. Autoclaving is used to sterilize the instruments, but if they are disposable discard after one use in the proper manner.

Handshaking is perhaps the most widely recognized of greetings worldwide. While the culture context of a handshake is warm and friendly gesture. The surface of a person hands harbor pathogens and act as vector for infection. This could lead to hospital-acquired infections, a “localized or systemic condition resulting from an adverse reaction to the presence of infectious agent(s) or its toxin(s)”, which can be potentially life-threatening problem (CDC, 2016). In attempt to prevent the spread of infection and hospital-acquired infections many recommendations and polices have been put in place on proper hand hygiene

Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) affect over 1.7 million patients each year, causing almost 100,000 deaths annually in the United States alone (Johnson, 2010). According to the World Health Organization, HAIs are the most frequent adverse event in the healthcare industry. Fortunately, most of these infections can be prevented with one single intervention, proper hand hygiene (“The Evidence,” n.d.). Four out of five pathogens that cause illness are spread by direct contact. Proper hand hygiene eliminates these pathogens and helps to prevent cross-contamination and HAIs (Linton, 2015; “Hand Hygiene,” n.d.). Reduction of cross-contamination and HAIs improves patient