Health Care Hygiene

Running head: HYGIENE
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Title: Health Care Hygiene

HYGIENE
Low standards of hygiene is a major cause of health care associated infections which
has increased the mortality and morbidity level among hospitalized patients. The health care
associated microorganisms are transmitted mostly through contamination of the environment.
Contaminated hands is the leading cause of these infections. Hand washing, for a long time,
has been considered as a way to personal hygiene and a means of controlling health care
associated infections (Mani, Shubangi and Saini, 2010). This paper reflects on general
hygiene in the health care setting, factors influencing hygiene, its effect in the health care
delivery and also what people feel about hygiene.
In my understanding, diseases are naturally caused by a couple of factors in relation to
human behavior, systems and processes of health care delivery (WHO, 2009). Spread of
health care associated infections occur through either direct or indirect contact with the
pathogens, contaminated fluids or contamination present in the air. This makes these
infections preventable. To begin with, hand hygiene is a primary measure in controlling
disease causing pathogens. Hand washing is just a simple act whose non-compliance in the
health care sector could be dangerous. Under their new slogan, “Clean Care is Safe Care” the
WHO have proposed different policies and strategies focusing their attention of improving
and promoting hand washing. The WHO have also come up with guidelines on hand
washing. I therefore recommend that hospitals should be encouraged to adopt these
guidelines as it would improve their understanding and awareness on the issue of hand
washing. Low compliance in hand washing rates has been reported mostly in developing
nations with an average of 38.7 percent. Health care professionals have to make hand
washing a routine activity if health care associated infections are to be brought under control.
In my thinking, I presume that the patient’s room, including bedside tables and
bedrails, could be a means of transmitting infections in from one patient to the other or to the
nurses (Carling, 2016). Chemical disinfectants such as sodium hypochloride, are used to

HYGIENE
clean surfaces in the health care facilities. The effectiveness of these disinfectants depends on
their antimicrobial activity, the cleaning and application adequacy, the disinfectant’s
concentration and application on the contact lines. Some health care facilities have
implemented the no touch models of cleaning surfaces as the concern on inadequate
disinfection grows even after application of interventions to improve surface cleaning
especially after patient discharge (AHRQ, 2014). This includes the use of UV light (Jinadatha
et al. 2014) and use of self-cleaning surfaces by coating the surfaces with copper or
germicides (Salgado, Sepkowitz and John, 2013)
Personal hygiene is crucial in patients’ health and well-being with nurses playing the
core role in ensuring that patients’ hygiene is maintained. Howell, Rafferty, Wall and Snaith
(2013) call the health professionals “agents of imperial hygiene”. Personal hygiene includes
shaving, skin care, mouth, nails and hair care, and bathing. These types of personal hygiene
are related and the nurses’ intervention in patient’s hygiene depends on the self-care ability
and level of dependence of the patient (Pegram, Bloomfield and Jones, 2013). When
undertaking bed bathing, essential risk assessments should be maintained in handling and
moving the beddings. I would also ensure that infection control principles are adhered to
according to given standards. I would also review the patient’s plan before offering the
hygiene care to ensure that I address any cultural needs which could hinder the safe delivery
of the care (Pellowe, 2007). Surgical also need to be maintained clean. Used and soiled
devises should be immediately taken for decontamination and cleaning so that body fluids do
not dry on the surfaces (Chobin, 2017). This would ensure that diseases transmission and
infections are put under control.
Most health care facilities lack adequate equipment and materials to maintain hygiene
standards (Hancart-Petitet et al. (2011). Other factors such as formal and informal rapport in
the health care settings influence hygiene practices in hospitals. Some other health officer see