Why Is Proper Hand Hygiene Important?

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

Although infection control is vital in patient care, another important safety measure includes using the best available products to the facility. The use of optimal catheter care products is important when providing the best care to the pediatric population. Antibiotic or ethanol locks provide a decreased risk of infection, as opposed to the traditional locks found in use in some facilities.

In conclusion, the importance of control and prevention in the spread of MRSA cannot be emphasised enough. MRSA clearly

Carla, your post on community acquired MRSA infection, detection, and treatment of the condition is spot on. We all walk around with a variety of bacteria on our skin, especially healthcare workers. As healthcare professionals we are in constant contact with patients with various skin conditions including MRSA so it important to follow guidelines set by our institutions to limit the exposure to ourself and other patients. In addition, to the demographic that you mention in your post at risk for acquiring MRSA, younger non-exposed hospitalized patients are at risk as well.

In the research, fourteen patients in Los Angeles contracted the MRSA necrotizing fasciitis strain. Most of the patients reported having some type of a preexisting condition, like hepatitis C or a history of intravenous

Staff with MRSA with skin disorders: Culture samples should be collected from the throat, nose, perineum and any skin disorders of the staffs on that day when the staff member is discovered as MRSA-positive (day 1). Additionally, treatment of carrier staff takes place on detecting as positive. Gathering of control cultures should have done on the 10th, 15th and 20th day. Employees with MRSA infections should follow the same procedures as they would for any infection. Excepting that, the employee underlie behind an outbreak, MRSA, by itself, should not be a reason for restricting work. Infected employees who are working should cover their wound and follow the normal precautions (WannetW; 2001). Employees with minor lesions should cover

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA is a source of major concern for public health. MRSA is no longer a sole property of inpatients’ infections, but spreads quickly in the community, responsible for more deaths in the US than AIDS. It demonstrates increasing prevalence not only among people with weak immune systems, but also among those who we consider to be the healthiest.

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and was founded in the 1960’s. It was not recognized until the 1990’s when there was a breakout in the hospitals. Healthcare professionals became frightened of this “Super-Bug” mainly because of the spread from one person to another. It became uncontrollable and staff were not aware of how to prevent the spread and treat the patients. It was then that the hospitals and nursing homes developed infection control measures in order to control and prevent further spread of MRSA.

My organization is currently using targeted MRSA surveillance of only those patients who meet the predetermined criteria such as screening those patients who are from the nursing home, ICU patients, and patients who have a history of MRSA. The practice of universal MRSA surveillance presents a great opportunity for decreasing the incidence and risk of MRSA transmission and hospital acquired infection. It is a great tool to improve and implement measures designed at providing a higher quality of care and improving patients’ outcome. I believe that these types of evidence should prompt hospitals or healthcare organizations to take the opportunity and take advantage of the data that was gathered to utilize the use of universal MRSA screening.

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

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2016) "MRSA can cause severe problems such as bloodstream infections, pneumonia and surgical site infections. If not treated quickly, MRSA infections can cause sepsis and death” (para. 1). Elderly and individuals with depleted immunity (Mayo Clinic, 2016), patients in intensive care units (ICUs) where the antibiotic resistance and antibiotic use are the highest (Ma et al., 2015, p. 1), nursing home (NH) residents, and patients with indwelling devices are the most vulnerable population for the MRSA infection (Mayo Clinic, 2016). MRSA infections can put financial and physical strains to the healthcare system as observed by Hanna (2011), “MRSA costs the US healthcare system up to $34 billion a year and accounts for over 8 million additional hospital

MRSA is no longer solely transmitted throughout the health care setting, it is within the community. The risk factors of MRSA within the health care setting is being hospitalized because patient are more vulnerable, having an invasive medical device implanted because it allows MRSA easier access into the body and staying in a long-term care facility because even carriers of MRSA may spread the disease(Methicillin Resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA), 2016). The risk factors within the community is partaking in contact activities because of the skin to skin contact and the cuts and abrasion which MRSA can get into and living in a crowded area or unsanitary conditions because MRSA can easily be spread (Methicillin Resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA),

In the clinical trial conducted by Jorge Cepeda (2005), infective disease control professor at the University College London Hospitals, another MRSA inhibition technique was investigated. Isolating MRSA colonized patients was the technique Cepeda and his team studied. The prospective trial was conducted in two general medical-surgical intensive-care units of two American teaching hospitals for 1 year (Cepeda, 2005, p. 295). All 21,840 entering patients were swabbed and tested for MRSA, and MRSA-positive patients were moved to a single cohort isolation room. While a patient was in the isolation room, policies for hygiene remained constant. 6 months into the study the practice of isolation was abandoned, and the rates of MRSA infection were once again recorded. The crude (unadjusted) Cox proportional-hazards model showed evidence of increased transmission during the latter non-isolation phase in both hospitals (Cepeda, 2005, p. 296). The evidence represented up to a 62.2% decrease in the proportional-infection transmission rates when isolation was used (Cepeda, 2005, p.295). Cepeda then concluded, “Moving MRSA-positive patients into single rooms or cohorted

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

Cases are high in hospitals with patients that just received surgery, who’s immune system is already down and more susceptible to infection, usually resulting in longer hospital stays. Long-term patients like dialysis patients, who have a central venous catheter ports, are at a high risk at receiving this serious infection. Day care centers are also known for infecting young kids, and staff workers by touching contaminated objects from a person with MRSA colonization. Lack of proper personal hygiene and cleansing of equipment furthers the risk of spreading MRSA. Each year, approximately 12 million Americans visit a physician to be examined for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus infections. MRSA infections total approximately two million annually, resulting in approximately 90,000 deaths and $4.5 billion in health care costs annually. In 2003 MRSA infections were the fifth-leading cause of death in acute care hospitals (Stanforth, B., Krause, A., Starkey, C., & Ryan, T. J.,