Spread Of Infection Research Paper

Implementation of patient care practices for infection control is the role of the nursing staff. Nurses are responsible for maintaining hygiene, consistent with hospital policies and good nursing practice on the ward and monitoring aseptic techniques, including hand-washing and use of isolation. It is also in their scope of practice to promptly report to the attending physician any evidence of infection in patients under the nurse’s care and initiating patient isolation and ordering culture specimens from any patient showing signs of a communicable disease, when the physician is not immediately available. Limiting patient exposure to infections from visitors, hospital staff, other patients, or equipment used for diagnosis or treatment and maintaining

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.

Follow Hand Hygiene measures set by the CDC and WHO: Using the CDC and WHO guidelines to improve proper hand hygiene. This will reduce the health care related infections and reduce the transmission of disease from staff to patients (The Joint Commission, 2012)

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.

Weston, D., & Ebrary. (2008). Infection prevention and control: Theory and clinical practice for healthcare professionals. Hoboken, NJ;Chichester, England;: John Wiley & Sons.

The hospital is compliant with infection control protocol according to the CDC standard guidelines. “Hand hygiene, contact precautions, as well as cleaning and disinfecting patient care equipment and the patient’s environment are essential strategies for preventing the spread of health care–associated infections. Hand hygiene is addressed in NPSG.07.01.01. Contact precautions for patients with

Nurses play a pivotal role in preventing hospital-acquired infections (HAI), not only by ensuring that all aspects of their nursing practice is evidence based, but also through nursing research and patient education.Hand hygiene is widely acknowledged to be the single most important activity for reducing the spread of disease.Personal protective equipment (PPE) is used to protect both yourself and your patient from the risks of cross-infection.Gloves should be worn whenever there might be

The priority nursing diagnosis of hospital acquired infection is risk for any kind of infection. One of the main goals for each patient in the hospital is the patient will remain free of infection as evidence by absence of heat, pain, redness, or swelling in any area of the patient’s body during each nurse’s shift. (care plan book). Frequently hand washing is the best intervention for preventing infection. Hand washing reduces the risk of transmission of pathogens by inhibiting the growth of or killing the microorganisms. (cb)Proper sterile technique during urinary

Hospital-Acquired Infections entail, urinary tract infections, pneumonia and bloodstream infections. In addition to the patients, the Infections tend also to affect the healthcare workers who usually take care of the patients who are the main sources of the of the infectious diseases in the hospitals. The project tends to investigate the best evidence-based practices and approaches used to reduce the rate transmission and spread of the HAIs, such as washing of hands by healthcare workers. The statement of the problem focuses on the best methods and efforts that can be developed and implemented in the hospitals with the objective of preventing the Hospital Acquired Infections contributed by healthcare workers and the patients who come for treatments at the hospitals (CDC, 2016).

Most of the germs causing bacteria are transmitted to the patient by hands during the patient care (World Health Organization, 2016). The surfaces in patient rooms, the health care workers (HCWs) clothing, and the instruments used by the HCW can be contaminated. Proper hand hygiene is needed to prevent or reduce the transmission of HCAIs in patients. Urinary tract infection, surgical site infection, pneumonia and infections of the bloodstream can be contacted through improper hand hygiene. HCAIs are the major cause of morbidity and mortality (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), 2016). These infections cost the health care system billions of dollars every year and several losses of lives. It can have disastrous emotional, financial and medical impact on patients and their family members. These infections jeopardize the safety and care for patients (WHO, 2016). Hand hygiene is the first line of defense against infections. Before contact with patient, hand hygiene should be performed by hand washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand rub. Hands should be disinfected before patient contact, prior to and following the insertion of any invasive devices, before using gloves for central intravascular catheter insertion (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016). Hand should be cleaned following checking vital signs, contact with mucous

Nurses are humans and will always make slight mistakes. However, it is possible to significantly decrease the number of hospital-acquired infection cases. Prevention of hospital-acquired infections starts with nurses. Nurses should know how to use and handle all material and protective equipment properly. Nurses should follow procedures as instructed by the law and their hospitals. Nurses should educate their patients on the topic of cross-infection answering the 5Ws (What, where, when, why, who) and 1H (How). To prevent hospital-acquired infections, nurses have to ensure equipment safety, follow given procedures, and educate their patients on hospital-acquired

The number of health-care associated infections and patient safety must be addressed and improved by actions and plans that can be implemented as soon as possible. Estimates indicate that hundreds of millions of patients contract these infections worldwide on a yearly basis. This article outlines the need for hand hygiene in order to prevent and control healthcare-associated infections (also referred to as HCAI’s). It states that a large number of HCAI’s are preventable, and measures regarding strict observance of hand hygiene methods must be taken. In October 2004, from all corners of the globe, patient groups, governmental agencies and policy-makers held a meeting advance the patient safety goal of "first, do no harm” and to essentially promote

EBP has proving how standard precaution help prevent infections. Standard precautions aim to eliminate sources of infection whenever possible and to prevent the spread of infection. People requiring care in hospitals, care homes, clinics, doctors’ surgeries and in their own homes may have infections or may be at risk of picking up infection from others. It is imperial for health care providers educate patient and their family on prevention of infections.

Major problem in increasing rate of infection in Intensive Care Unit stated low compliance (Garchell, Labrador, Perez, & Septiem, 2008).Nurses was reported less compliance on hand hygiene because lack awareness, routine work , negligence, lack drying and washing equipment, faulty management system, crowded ward and bad detergent (Bilski & Kosinski, 2007). Studies constantly have proven healthcare nurses not well aware on hand hygiene. Noncompliance was higher seen in intensive care unit compare to internal unit during procedure with high risk for transmission and intensity patient acre was higher opportunity (Pittet, 2001). Some result from studies show that main cause of infant mortality in developing country is health associated infection (Huis, et al., 2013). Despite this, according study Suchitra and Lakshmidevi (2007) believe health care fail to practice proper hand

This paper explores ways in which hospitals and people in general prevent and control infectious diseases. There are five articles that will be examined throughout the paper that provide a wide variety of strategies to help control and prevent infection within hospitals worldwide. Four out of the five of these articles go into depth about preventing a hospital-acquired infection during a patient’s hospital stay. Many of the articles covered in this paper show how hospitals have a uniform and universal protocol when it comes to infection prevention. The idea of a universal protocol is extremely important