Hand hygiene in healthcare

Hand hygiene in healthcare
Hand Hygiene
Institutional affiliation
Student name
Date

Hand hygiene in healthcare
Hand Hygiene
Introduction
Today, hand hygiene is recognized as an essential element of activities that control
infections. The concept of hand hygiene when treating the patient begun in early 19th century.
The first evidence by Labarraque provided that decontaminating hand has a significant reduction
of the incidences of maternal mortality and puerperal fever (Sickbert-Bennett et al., 2016).
Infections associated with health care are increasingly drawing attention from the regulatory
bodies, governments, insurers and the patients. Today, there is sufficient evidence that adherence
to strict hand hygiene has a significant reduction of risks associated with cross-transmitted
infections (Gould et al., 2017). On WHO global safety program initiative, the prime agenda is
“Clean Care is Safer Care” which is meant to challenge the developing countries to formulate
policies that would ensure the implementation of basic prevention practices.
In USA 99,000 patients' death is caused by nosocomial infections annually. Even as
research shows the importance of hand hygiene favorable attitude by healthcare workers,
observation shows that the rate of compliance falls below 30% (Zingg et al. 2015). Some reasons
for noncompliance given by professionals are factors like human environment, lack of training,
poor infrastructure, nurses' skin conditions, and work conditions (Gould et al., 2017). (Dai,
Milkman, Hofmann & Staats, 2015). Failure to perform hand hygiene as required is considered
one of the primary cause of infections associated with healthcare and the spread of multi-
resistance organisms that contribute to a significant outbreak. Person-person spread of germs and
infections can be significantly reduced and eliminated by maintaining proper personal hygiene
Some germs are naturally on your hands, and others are picked up as you touch surfaces
or objects around you regularly (Zingg et al. 2015). When Health Care Attendant goes about

Hand hygiene in healthcare
their roles in healthcare settings their hands naturally pick up germs which may be dangerous to
their patient and client. Hand hygiene is not only washing but also drying them after wash. The
process of hand hygiene aims at getting rid of all the types of germs as much as possible.
The WHO health care setting guidelines for hand hygiene
Hand hygiene can be done by the use of alcohol hand rubs or by soap and water.
However, Alcohol rubs are mostly not available on health care setting (Tschudin-Sutter,
Sepulcri, Dangel, Schuhmacher & Widmer, 2015). The use of either alcohol rubs or soap and
water during hand wash follows a slightly different process as will be discussed below. However,
it should be noted that in either the process the essential things to do first is starting by removing
any wristwatches and jewelry on your hands to clean the skin they usually cover and then rolling
your sleeves up (Luangasanatip et al., 2015). During the hand wash, the most forgotten parts of
the hand include fingerprints and thumbs even as they are the most normal parts that get into
contact with the patients.
But having all this brings a question as to when to perform hand hygiene. Hand hygiene
can be delivered to get rid of germs which may get into your hands through means like
client/patient sneezing, or coughing near you or touching your hands. It can also be through
handling wastes products from a client. To maintain hand hygiene, wash your hands before or
after physical contact with the patient, and after taking gloves off. It is also recommended that,
before putting the personal protective equipment and after taking it off, when giving patients
food or drinks, after making a bed for a client, after helping the client from the toilet and after
removing any wastes from the clients (Chassin, Mayer & Nether, 2015).
WHOs’ guidelines for hand hygiene includes
 Wet hands using water