Comprehensive STEEP Proposal: Handwashing and Infection Control

This essay presents a STEEP (Safe, Timely, Effective, Efficient, Equitable, and Patient-centered) proposal emphasizing the critical role of handwashing in healthcare settings to prevent the spread of germs and reduce infections. It highlights how improper handwashing leads to the transmission of ailments, particularly those causing diarrhea and stomach issues. The proposal discusses the importance of handwashing for both patients and caregivers, advocating for thorough and effective practices to minimize the risk of bacterial transmission. The essay outlines a plan of change, detailing recommended handwashing steps based on health organization guidelines, and provides a framework for evaluation, including cost considerations and methods to assess the impact on patient outcomes and the economy. The document also explores the economic impact of handwashing and the resources needed for implementation, including timelines for improvement and relevant references.

Running Head: STEEP PROPOSAL 0
Steep Proposal
Kimberly A. Jackson
10/12/2018

Steep Proposal 1
STEEP Proposal Aim
Germs can be spread from one surface to another through various means such as our
hands, contaminated containers, or even through the air. However, most common ailments
that arise from the result in diarrhea and aching stomach come as a result of bacteria and other
worms being transmitted from the contaminated surfaces to the mouths of the hosts through
their hands. As a result, it is of key importance that hands of both the patients and caregivers
are washed thoroughly and effectively to emit any chances of spreading the bacteria by 99%.
This essay will hugely focus on the reason why washing hands inappropriately result in
further transmission of ailments.
Hand washing is the deed through we associate our hands with water to make them clean.
Using soap makes hand washing more effective because all available bacteria on the sides will
be brushed out. It is of high hygiene to wash hands to remove maybe dirty or even microscopic
organisms on the hands. We know very well that harmful bacteria are harmful to our health
because they can cause sickness when they enter our body systems.
Hand washing is essential in every field may it be in homes, schools, hospitals, offices
among other places, mostly this should be much observed in the medical facilities by medical
offices like nurses and doctors. We understand that time to time nurses and doctors associated
with patients when giving them medical attention like injecting so they should always wash their
hands. This will be corrective measure in that it will minimize chances of them transferring
illness from one patient to another or even from them being infected by the patients. There are
also diseases which originate from dirty hands; the likes of cholera can be a concern if hands are

Steep Proposal 2
not washed mostly when handling foodstuffs. We have some accrued advantages in washing
hands regularly like, preventing infection of diarrhea, preventing diseases which can be
transferred through a handshake, healthy growth of upcoming infants, minimized rates of deaths
among other benefits.
By washing the patients’ hands with the aid of the qualified personnel aids in the
attainment of these aims. This is because the nurses have the necessary skills and training,
such as washing them for about 15 to 30 seconds using clean water enhances patient’s safety
(Ballard, 2014). This practice ascertains that the patients are given the chance to be served
first as they are in an unsuitable condition more than other persons thus being patient-centered
(Compton, 2015). It is equitable if their hands are washed and/or aided in washing by the
authorized nurses in that the nurses have the standards to be met in their minds and it is easier
to meet them. In summary, washing of the patients’ hands by the qualified caregivers makes
sure that all the STEEP aspects are met.
Quality Improvement Principle
The STEEP is basically a framework laid down that aims at meeting the proposed
Triple Aim that includes population health, better per capita cost, and care experience. These
aspects of STEEP include the likes of Safe, Timely, Effective, Efficient, Equitable, and
Patient-centered in particular. Safety comes in by ascertaining that the nurses have enough
training, time aspect comes in by making sure that the nurses are available 24/7 for the
patients and efficiency in that the nurses are capable of making sure that can provide their
patients with care that is evidence-based. Efficiency comes in through the affirmation that the
nurses are always at the bedside of their patients delivering care, equitability through the

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assurance that the care delivered meets the set standards of care, and patient-centered in that
all services delivered put the patient at the frontline (Beattie, Murphy, Atherton, & Lauder,
2015).
Washing hands and STEEP framework
As discussed earlier on, having a dirty hand, especially to the ill, is a huge assurance of more
contamination and a possible cause of additional ailments that may affect the mouth,
esophagus, and the stomach. As a result, keen and effective washing of the hands of the
patients and other persons not only reduces the chances of contamination by also assures the
well-being of a person. After washing of these hands, drying them in bacteria-free areas may
aid in the total reduction of the contamination to other people.
Plan of Change
Here we are looking at the process to be followed for the hand washing practice to be
perfect and also useful at once, there are some steps which can be technically followed for it to
work out. These steps are recommended by health organizations to be very useful when it comes
to outdoing bacteria and any other microscopic organisms from our hands (chai, 2016). In the
first step, we are advised to put enough soap to our hands so it can cover the whole surface of
hands.
It will ensure even distribution of soap hence making it useful, second step is to rub the
hands nicely this will be effective enough if it is done on palm to palm way, the rubbing of palms
should be done for a while until clean, step three place one hand on other with fingers
intermingling and this will help to wash thoroughly in between the fingers and then you

Steep Proposal 4
interchange the sides, step four interlock the finger ends which enables you to clean the ends and
nails, step five is rubbing of the thumb fingers and finally step six you rinse hands with clean
water and then dry it thoroughly with a single-use paper towel.
Evaluation
The evaluation of the effective hand washing plan can be done with a cheap method
that focuses on key clinical guidelines. These guidelines may involve patient involvement,
external assessment of the plan, systematic searching of evidence that the washing was
conducted, and making sure that the plan implementation is updated accordingly (Ejemot-
Nwadiaro, et. al, 2015). The cost of implementing this plan is cheap but it may cost about
$50,000 in the assessment especially if the assessment team comes from an external source.
Method of Evaluating the Process Change
Here the evaluation of hand washing efficiency is carried out to know whether there is
change or not. It will be difficult to tell whether there is that efficiency but some factors like
reduced cases of cholera, influenza and reduced mortality rate in infants among others will
explain (Bennion, 2014).
Economic Impact
Hand washing is of much economic impact in any country, if any health organization
should advice all people to wash hands this will minimize chances of illness in the state, and this
will alternatively reduce the amount used to cater for medical expenses. So the hand washing
will significantly impact the economy positively (Stone, 2010).

Steep Proposal 5
Resources Needed To Implement the Plan
Through world health organizations, it is simple to perform the method of issue of hand
washing depending on the health status of the country; resources can be provided in health
departments to carry out seminars to educate citizens on the importance of hand washing. The
government also can avail things like soaps to the citizens as a way of implementing the plan too.
Projection of Timeline for Improvement
The prediction schedule for improvement here refers to the strategy to be put in place to
higher the levels of hand washing; the government can decide to implement a plan or project that
will encourage people always to remember to wash their hands. The world health organization
can also venture into administering a strategy to ensure hand washing is efficient (Olsen, 2016).
References
Bennion, D. N. (2014). biotraceinternation. Food processing.
Chai, c. (2016). Health global news. 2.
Olsen, e. (2016). Strategic implementation. The dose of strategy.
Stone, P. W. (2010). Effect of Guideline Implementation on Costs of Hand Hygiene. Author
manuscript.