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There is increased sensitization for healthcare workers to promote the use of hand washing to protect patients from getting infections. Based on a 2001 study by Sarah Naikoba and Andrew Hayward, the frequency of hand washing among healthcare workers has gone down despite its reported efficacy in preventing infections among the patients that have been admitted in hospitals. According to Bhatia & Dehankar (2017), hand hygiene has been shown to be the simplest and most effective way of reducing cross-transmission of micro-organisms. The type of hand washing agent used in the process determines the level of improvement in the efficacy of the process. Failure by health workers to sanitize or wash their hands before handling patients is associated with healthcare infections.
PICOT Statement
Hand washing or use of hand sanitizer among healthcare workers helps in the prevention of transmission of infections to patients during their hospital visits or stay.
Reference List
Bischoff, W. E., Reynolds, T. M., Sessler, C. N., Edmond, M. B., & Wenzel, R. P. (2000). Handwashing compliance by health care workers: the impact of introducing an accessible, alcohol-based hand antiseptic. Archives of internal medicine, 160(7), 1017-1021.
The article aimed at establishing the effectiveness of awareness programs aimed at promoting hand washing in healthcare institutions. The researchers also investigated the acceptance of new handrubbing alcohol-based hand washing against the standard hand washing that involves the use of soap. The research utilized an observational study that took a period of six months. The researchers found out that despite the use of awareness programs, hand washing amongst health care workers continued to be low. Few health care workers utilized hand washing, especially hand washing that involved water and soap. However, with the introduction of alcohol-based waterless hand washing antiseptic, more health care workers are adopting hand washing before attending to the patients to prevent the possibility of infections.
Bhatia, M. S., & Dehankar, D. U. (2017). Comparative efficacy of hand hygiene techniques for removing bacteria from the hands of health care workers with microbiological evaluation. Life, 50, 10.
The article investigates the efficacy of hand washing techniques among healthcare workers in preventing infections in hospital. According to Bhatia and Dehankar (2017), hand washing is important in helping to prevent the infections. However, the type of hand washing technique used also determines the efficacy of the process. A high number of health care associated infections have been linked to failure to perform effective hand washing techniques. The study, therefore, investigated the efficacy of various hand washing techniques. It utilized a qualitative study design that involved investigating health care workers of Tertiary Care Center. The results indicated that alcohol-based hand washing techniques as the most efficient.
Girou, E., Loyeau, S., Legrand, P., Oppein, F., & Brun-Buisson, C. (2002). Efficacy of hand rubbing with alcohol based solution versus standard hand washing with antiseptic soap: Randomized clinical trial. BMJ, 325(7360), 362.
The article set out to compare the effectiveness of using sanitizers with alcohol-based solutions versus using the conventional methods of hand washing that utilize antiseptic soap to help in reducing hand contamination when involved in routine patient care. The researchers utilized a randomized controlled trial that was done during the daily nursing sessions that went for a period of two to three hours. The researchers investigated twenty-three health care workers in intensive care units of a French university hospital. The results indicated that both methods help in reducing hand contamination. However, hand rubbing using alcohol-based solution was found to be more efficient compared to hand washing with antiseptic soap.
Gould, D., Moralejo, D., Drey, N., & Chudleigh, J. (2010). Methods to improve healthcare worker hand hygiene to decrease infection in hospitals. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CD005186.
The article is a review that investigates the strategies that can be implemented to help in improving the hand washing practice among the health care workers in care setting. Hand hygiene is considered a critical method of reducing infections that are associated with health care settings. The researchers conducted a review of twenty-six studies that established there is need to promote multimodal interventions to increase compliance to the hand washing practice. It will help to raise the compliance level since the current statistics indicate that few health care workers comply with the requirement to practice hand hygiene practices.
Ott, M., & French, R. (2009). Hand hygiene compliance among health care staff and student nurses in a mental health setting. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 30(11), 702-704.
The article investigates the rates of hand hygiene compliance among health care workers in hospital setting before attending to patients. According to the researchers, the practice of hand hygiene methods is important in helping to prevent infections in hospital settings. The study utilized a qualitative design. The results of the study indicated that hand washing practices among health care workers are influenced by a number of issues that include complex behavior among the health care workers as well as individual beliefs and attitudes.
Smiddy, M. P., O’Connell, R., & Creedon, S. A. (2015). Systematic qualitative literature review of health care workers’ compliance with hand hygiene guidelines. American Journal of Infection Control, 43(3), 269-274.
The article acknowledges the importance of using hand hygiene method to help in the prevention of infections on patients by health care workers. The workers pose a substantial risk to the patients when they do not comply with the requirement to wash their hands. The researchers utilized a qualitative design to establish the level of adherence by the healthcare workers to the hand hygiene guidelines. The results of the study indicated that compliance to the practice remained a big challenged amongst most health care workers despite the proven efficacy of the hand hygiene methods in preventing infections.
References
Bischoff, W. E., Reynolds, T. M., Sessler, C. N., Edmond, M. B., & Wenzel, R. P. (2000). Handwashing compliance by health care workers: the impact of introducing an accessible, alcohol-based hand antiseptic. Archives of internal medicine, 160(7), 1017-1021.
Bhatia, M. S., & Dehankar, D. U. (2017). Comparative efficacy of hand hygiene techniques for removing bacteria from the hands of health care workers with microbiological evaluation. Life, 50, 10.
Girou, E., Loyeau, S., Legrand, P., Oppein, F., & Brun-Buisson, C. (2002). Efficacy of hand rubbing with alcohol based solution versus standard hand washing with antiseptic soap: Randomized clinical trial. BMJ, 325(7360), 362.
Gould, D., Moralejo, D., Drey, N., & Chudleigh, J. (2010). Methods to improve healthcare worker hand hygiene to decrease infection in hospitals. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CD005186.
Ott, M., & French, R. (2009). Hand hygiene compliance among health care staff and student nurses in a mental health setting. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 30(11), 702-704.
Smiddy, M. P., O’Connell, R., & Creedon, S. A. (2015). Systematic qualitative literature review of health care workers’ compliance with hand hygiene guidelines. American Journal of Infection Control, 43(3), 269-274.
