What is the single most important method to prevent the spread of nosocomial infections?
A father whose son is waiting for him to be discharged from the hospital so he can come home and teach his child how to throw a baseball, a grandmother who organizes her 72-person family reunion every year, a little girl who loves glitter, playing soccer, and annoying her older sister, a student who is applying to colleges and looking forward to prom and graduation...all of these people’s lives and the lives of those who love them could be affected if these patients acquire a healthcare associated infection. Show
HAI Basics HAI BasicsWhat is a HAI?HAI is an acronym that is used interchangeably for Hospital Acquired Infections and Healthcare Associated Infections. They are sometimes also referred to as nosocomial infections. People get these infections while receiving care for other medical conditions. To be considered a HAI, the infection must not be present before that individual is under hospital care. How many hospital patients get healthcare associated infections?1 in 31 hospital patients have at least one healthcare associated infection while hospitalized. In 2015, this translated to 687,000 HAIs in U.S. acute care hospitals.1 Around 10% of patients with HAIs (72,000 hospital patients) died during their hospitalizations.1 Why is HAI prevention so important?Preventing hospital acquired infections is part of your responsibility to your patients, your co-workers, and yourself. It’s an important part of keeping everyone healthy and safe. HAI prevention practices can lead to an estimated $25-$31.5 billion in medical cost savings.2 Prevention saves hospitals money and allows medical professionals to focus on the primary condition of patients in their care. Our #1 HAI Prevention Tip: Hand HygieneSource: CDC Clean hands are a crucial part of preventing the spread of deadly germs and HAIs to patients as well as preventing healthcare providers from acquiring infections from patients. The CDC’s ‘Clean Hands Count’ campaign highlights this important infection prevention step. Check out this video created by Toronto General Hospital on the importance of hand washing! This video may seem a little silly, using green paint to visualize germs, but it also highlights an important point and allows you to see why hand washing matters. When we don’t wash our hands, the germs spread and can lead to healthcare-associated infections. Why don’t people always wash their hands?Studies show that healthcare providers wash their hands less than ½ the times that they should.3 But why is this the case, if hand washing is so important to preventing healthcare associated infections? One reason may be that healthcare workers may need to wash their hands as many as 100 times per 12 hour shift (depending on patient load and intensity of care).3 One study found a variety of risk factors for poor adherence to recommended hand-washing practices including:4
The study recommends educating staff on hand washing guidelines and agents. It states that past studies found that alcohol-based hand rubs that contained emollients were less irritating to the skin than the soaps tested.4 One option for alcohol-based hand sanitizer is Antiseptic Bio-Hand Cleaner, which contains 67% ethyl alcohol and aloe vera. Other hand sanitizer options include 3M Avagard D Instant Hand Antiseptic, which meets CDC, AORN, and WHO Guidelines and is compatible with CHG (chlorhexidine gluconate) an 2XL Touch-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer a dermatologist-tested option with Vitamin E and Aloe to soothe dry and irritated skin. Because increased hand-hygiene can lead to skin dryness, the study also recommends having free skin-care lotion available.4 3M Cavilon Moisturizing Hand Lotion is designed for healthcare professionals to restore skin’s moisture. It can be used under latex gloves without breaking them down and not affect the activity of CHG hand antiseptic products. What’s “In” for Preventing Hospital Acquired Infections?A study entitled The Health Professional's Role in Preventing Nosocomial Infections, declares that “Frequent hand washing remains the single most important intervention in infection control”.5 However, they also include other suggestions for practical ways to prevent HAIs.5 What’s In?
Hand Sanitizer vs. Soap and WaterThe CDC recommends using alcohol-based hand sanitizer when your hands are not visibly dirty because it is potentially more effective at killing hand germs and less irritating and drying to your skin than soap. Plus, it’s easier to use during the course of care.3 A 2014 study on strategies to prevent healthcare associated infections recommended performing hand hygiene with an alcohol-based hand rub as well. However, the study recommended using an antimicrobial or nonantimicrobial soap when hands are visibly soiled and during norovirus or C. difficile outbreaks.6 Another study found that 100% hand-hygiene compliance using soap and water would take 16 hours of nursing time for a 24 hour shift. However, using alcoholic hand disinfection at the bedside to achieve 100% compliance requires only 3 hours.5 Hand Washing & GlovesGloves should be used as a supplement to hand washing. Even if you wear gloves, you still need to practice good hand hygiene. The CDC recommends changing your gloves if they are damaged, look dirty, have bodily fluids on them, or you are moving from a contaminated to a clean body site.3 Clean Hands Count: The Importance of Hand Washing from the CDCSix HAIs Reported to CMSProspective Payment System (PPS) hospitals are required by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to report data on 6 HAI measures:
Partnering to Heal: Interactive GameHospital acquired infection can have a significant effect on your patient’s health. Partnering to Heal is a free interactive game designed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that allows you to see the effect of your decisions on your patient’s health. See a glimpse of how the interactive game works in this video!You can choose between five characters: a family caregiver, unit director, infection preventionist, medical student, or registered nurse. Then, as you move through the game, you make decisions that show how patient outcomes are impacted by medical judgement, communication, teamwork, and attention to infection control. It’s a fun way to refresh your infection prevention skills and get other staff members to think about the importance of prevention and commit to taking steps to reduce HAIs. Start playing Partnering to Heal now!9 Standard Infection Precautions to Use with All PatientsWhile some situations and patient conditions require additional infection prevention precautions. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends these nine precautions to take with all patients:7
Infection Prevention for 6 Hospital Acquired InfectionsLearn more about six HAIs and specific prevention steps below.6,8
Infection Prevention SuppliesWhile there is a huge array of products available for infection prevention, here are some commonly used supplies. Hand Hygiene
Environmental & Equipment Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting
Wound Care
Other
Read the Research on Healthcare Associated InfectionsTitle:A Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals: 2014 Updates Title:Evidence-Based Programs and Strategies for Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infections in Critical Access Hospitals Title:National and State Healthcare Associated Infections Progress Report Title: Healthcare‐acquired infections: prevention strategies How Nurses Can Prevent Hospital Acquired InfectionsNurses can make a big difference in preventing hospital acquired infections through evidence-based practice, nursing research, and patient education. Following these basic steps can help keep your patients healthy.9 Setting Your Infection Prevention GoalsNow that you know more about infection prevention, work to set up a plan for your hospital. It’s not enough to aim for a prevention rate at the national baseline or slightly above the other hospitals around you. For your patients and your coworkers, your goal should always be zero HAIs. Get started by forming a committee made of a variety of healthcare personnel from nurses and physicians, all the way up to senior leadership. Decide on evidence-based practices and steps you can take to prevent HAIs, from staff education to written guidelines to a new culture that admits errors and learns from them. And choose how you plan to measure your new practices from whether you focus on one HAI to start with or tackle the main six to how you share these statistics with your staff. Don’t forget to schedule your next meeting so you can continue to build on your current work. For more infection control resources, check out the links below! More ResourcesReferences Medical Disclaimer: The information provided on this site, including text, graphics, images and other material, are for informational purposes only and are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other healthcare professional with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition. What is the single most important strategy to prevent the spread of infection?The most important way to reduce the spread of infections is hand washing - frequently wash hands with soap and water, if unavailable use alcohol-based hand sanitizer (containing at least 60% alcohol). Also important is to get a vaccine for those infections and viruses that have one, when available.
How can you prevent the spread of nosocomial infections?Preventing Nosocomial Infections. Fully disinfecting skin and equipment.. Washing hands regularly.. Wearing protective equipment like face masks and gloves.. Regularly changing urinary catheters, and removing them as soon as possible.. Removing hair near a surgical area.. Prescribing antibiotics only when needed.. What is the #1 effective way to reduce hospital acquired infection for our patients?Hand washing should be the cornerstone of reducing HAIs. Wash hands with warm soap and water vigorously for at least 20 seconds. Also, all staff members and people in the facility should be encouraged to wash their hands before drinking, eating, providing care and between caring for patients.
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