INF ECTION P R EVENTION
Best practice for infection prevention
Yvonne Carter, clinical director, Gama Healthcare, provides an overview of the fundamental best practice that should be carried out by healthcare workers, as well as the solutions and resources available to assist with best practice.
Infection prevention and control (IP&C) is a fundamental component of all health systems; it affects the health and safety of both patients and healthcare providers,1 and plays a key role in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). The most common of these HCAIs include Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli (E. coli).2 In the UK, it is estimated 300,000 patients a year acquire HCAIs, with 15% among hospitalised patients and in almost 40% of patients admitted to the intensive care unit.1,3
HCAIs can affect the quality
of life and cause significant morbidity and mortality in those affected, accounting for 10,000 deaths each year in the UK. They also predispose acute healthcare workers to an increased risk of infections.1,4
As a result
of the morbidity HCAIs cause, they result in long hospital stays, which in turn costs the NHS an estimated £1 billion each year.5 In addition to this, antimicrobial resistance continues to be one of the greatest public health challenges. With a limited number of drugs available to kill microorganisms, it is important the spread of infections is controlled.6
The emergence of
highly infectious COVID-19, presents another health risk for patients and healthcare staff as many cases of COVID-19 transmission occur in hospitals.7
These risks highlight the
importance of implementing and conducting appropriate best practice procedures to
prevent and limit the transmission of these infections. However, providing care that is in line with IP&C best practice8
is
especially important in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. With COVID-19 limiting face- to-face education, Gama Healthcare has created digital and printable resources to help limit the transmission of infections in hospitals, including guidelines that outline the important steps of hand disinfection, which can be accessed at: https://
gamahealthcare.com/coronavirus/resources/ skin-care-hand-hygiene
It is estimated that 40% of HCAIs occur when a patient is in intensive care. This, along with the highly contagious nature of COVID-19 and the limited availability of single patient rooms, highlights the importance of ready-made isolation units to limit the spread of the virus.
FEBRUARY 2021 Hand Hygiene
Hand hygiene is one of the most important measures to limit the spread of infections in hospitals. Following an increased compliance with a hand hygiene routine in a hospital ICU, rate of infections fell from 37.2 to 15.1 cases per 1000 patient-days.9
Hand
hygiene is therefore a basic yet effective way to keep the spread of infection down. It is important that healthcare workers know when to carry out hand hygiene: l Before touching a patient l Before clean/aseptic procedures l After body fluid exposure/risk l After touching a patient, and l After touching a patients surroundings10
Hand hygiene can be performed with alcohol hand rub (when hands are visibly clean) or water and soap (when hands are visibly dirty).11
While handwashing is
often considered the gold standard for hand hygiene, sinks are not always available. Unlike alcohol hand rubs, Clinell Antibacterial Hand Wipes clean and disinfect in a single
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Andy Dean Photography
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