A helping hand against AMR
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasingly serious threat to global public health. Chris Wakefield, Managing Director UK & Ireland at GOJO Industries-Europe, explains how the fight against AMR is in our hands.
Before Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, an infection from a minor wound could prove to be fatal. Antibiotics are the cornerstone of our health system and are instrumental in successfully treating life-threatening illnesses such as pneumonia and tuberculosis (TB), as well as enabling surgery to be performed safely.
However, in the same way that the COVID-19 virus has mutated, creating new variants that can spread faster and have the potential to grow more resistant, so too can bacteria – the family of bugs that are treated with antibiotics. Former Chief Medical Office, Dame Sally Davies, recently said: “Antimicrobial resistance – and its most serious form, antibiotic resistance – is the silent pandemic growing in shadows.”
In 2019/20, England saw over 90,000 admissions because of antibiotic resistant infections (up nearly 4% on the previous year) and The World Health Organization (WHO), has declared AMR to be one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity.
Effectively containing and controlling AMR requires three key actions. First, leaders must strengthen research and development for new antibiotics; second, the misuse and overuse of antimicrobial drugs must stop; and finally, the highest hygiene and prevention measures are required in healthcare settings to limit the development and spread of these superbugs.
Help is at hand
Hand hygiene has a strong role to play in preventing the spread of AMR and reducing the incidence of infection in the first place, but there’s more to it than simply having soap and water available.
Firstly, accessibility is key. Point-of-care products should be as close as possible, within arm’s reach of where patient
60 | HEALTHCARE HYGIENE
care or treatment is taking place, without having to leave the area. Opportunities for hand hygiene should also be available at other key germ hotspots, such as entrances or exits, waiting areas, and washrooms.
As well as installing dispensers across the site, supplying hand rub in small form versions, such as personal bottles of PURELL Advanced Hygienic Hand Rub, can help increase compliance. This enables time-poor staff to sanitise on the go, since, according to research we undertook with healthcare trusts in June 2020, many overburdened and stressed staff felt as if they didn’t have time to clean their hands as often as they should.
Formulation is also important. As well as having proven antimicrobial efficacy (EN 1500, EN 14476, and EN 12791), formulations must be gentle due to the high frequency with which healthcare workers clean their hands. Acceptability is vital here, because if staff enjoy using the products, they will be more likely to use them consistently, which in turn prevents superbugs from developing in the first place.
That’s why we have developed a brand-new type of soap. PURELL HEALTHY SOAP is designed to maintain skin health, even with the constant use required in a healthcare environment. Its exceptionally mild, unfragranced foam formulation is remarkably kind to skin, even with frequent use. For hands that are not visibly soiled, sanitising gel is recommended over soap and water.
AMR is a complex problem affecting the whole of society, driven by many interconnected factors. As such, single, isolated interventions have limited impact and a joined-up effort is needed to minimise its emergence and spread. Hand hygiene compliance is a keystone of this effort, helping to break the chain of infection and minimise the damaging impacts of superbug outbreaks.
www.gojo.com
(
https://inews.co.uk/news/health/dame-sally-davies-antimicrobial-resistance-is-the-silent-pandemic-growing-in-the-shadows-1023878) ) (
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance)
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