(
https://www.who.int/news/item/06-05-2022-who-launches-first-ever-global-report-on-infection-prevention-and-control) (
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15350713/)
In safe hands
Chris Wakefield, Managing Director UK & Ireland at GOJO industries-Europe, explains why good hand hygiene is vital in the fight against infection in healthcare facilities.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), stated: “The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many challenges and gaps in IPC (Infection Prevention and Control) in all regions and countries, including those which had the most advanced IPC programmes.”
Highlighting the extent to which healthcare settings can contribute to the spread of infections, the WHO’s first-ever Global Report on IPC found that 70% of infections could be prevented if good hand hygiene and other cost-effective practices were followed.
Keeping healthcare environments completely germ-free is complex – by their very nature, they house illness and infections. As we know too well from the past two years, viruses can spread ferociously quickly through indirect contact with others, via the hands and surfaces. What’s more they can survive for days, weeks and, in some cases, even months. For example, Norovirus can live on surfaces for up to 12 days, and other studies show that 14 people can be contaminated by touching the same object, one after the other.
However, as the WHO report points out, healthcare associated infections (HCAI) are largely preventable and hand hygiene is a critical line of defence – so how can healthcare settings ensure efficacy and compliance?
The right products
First and foremost, healthcare managers need to invest in the right products. These must have proven efficacy and comply with key standards EN 1500, EN 14476, and EN 12791, providing assurance that they’re safe for use in healthcare locations.
Secondly, given the frequency with which healthcare workers must clean their hands, the products must be gentle and enriched with nourishing moisturising agents to maintain skin health.
50 | HEALTHCARE HYGIENE
Cost is also an important factor. However, never purchase on price alone – the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association (CHSA) recently warned that, against the backdrop of the rising cost of raw materials and energy, those offering low-cost solutions are likely to compromise product quality and quantity.
When it comes to hospitals and healthcare facilities, where many of the occupants are already vulnerable, it’s simply not an option to risk their health by buying products that have no guarantee of meeting industry standards. Besides, it could end up costing you more – from the disruption of services and potential closure of wards, to cancelled admissions and delayed discharges.
There when you need them
The WHO recommends that an adequate number of appropriately positioned hand hygiene facilities are readily available at the point of care, ideally within arm’s reach of where patient care or treatment is taking place.
As well as in these ‘patient zones’, it’s a good idea to equip healthcare staff with small form versions of hygienic hand rub. According to research we undertook with healthcare trusts, overburdened and stressed staff felt as if they didn’t have time to clean their hands as often as they should. By issuing personal bottles of PURELL Advanced Hygienic Hand Rub, they can sanitise whilst moving between patients and reduce this lost time. What’s more, it’s fast-acting, which is important as we know people don’t always spend very long washing or sanitising hands.
Having an effective hand hygiene system in hospitals and healthcare environments is a vital weapon in the fight against HCAIs. Working with a trusted supplier can help ensure such settings stay hygienic and healthy, supplying appropriate products and dispensers, recommending optimal placement, and offering advice to build a culture of compliance. Ultimately, this not only improves patient safety, but lowers costs too.
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