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Clean Hands Reduce Outbreaks and Save Costs
Due to reduced immune response and presence of co morbidities, the elderly are very susceptible to infections including influenza, TB, C Diff and Norovirus.
These infections can be difficult to control and can be extremely costly to care homes and nursing homes.
Acute hospitals have many more resources and access to expert staff than long term care and nursing home settings.
Attention to basic infection control measures such as a clean environment and hand hygiene is all the more important if costly outbreaks are to be avoided.
Residential Care Settings
More than a third of the nursing homes surveyed in the US in 2006 –(102 of 301)
– reported an influenza-like illness cluster. Of those that did, the average cluster
was more than 15 residents and the average number of hospitalizations was 2.2, with
an average of less than 0.8 deaths per facility (Shugarman et al, 2006).
Healthcare workers in residential care settings can help reduce risks of infection
by being vigilant with hand hygiene and early identification of signs and symptoms
of infection.
Clean Hands Saves Lives
According to World Health Organisation, clean hands save lives. This is just as
true in the non acute setting as in our acute hospitals.
5 Moments for Hand Hygiene in Care Homes and Residential Care Settings
The World Health organisation produced guidelines in 2009 that laid out best practice
in relation to hand hygiene. The expert panel, unveiled a theoretical framework
that would change the way we audit and educate staff in hand hygiene forever.
The 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene, simply put, are the moments when cleaning hands
are essential – and they are as applicable to the long term care and non acute setting
as they are to an Intensive care unit (ICU).
By adopting the WHO 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene, healthcare workers (HCW) can ensure
their patients are protected from infection and can reduce risks spreading infection
in the environment.
Before patient contact – Clean your hands immediately before you
physically touch a patient or resident. (more info available in our resources pages)
Before a clean procedure – Clean your hands immediately before
carrying out oral hygiene or applying eye drops or other clean procedures for a
resident (more info available in our resources pages)
After blood /body fluid exposure- Clean hands again immediately
after removing gloves and after handling nappies, bed pans, commodes, items soiled
with faeces or urine etc. more info available in our resources pages)
After patient contact – Always clean hands immediately after physically
touching a patient, as you move away from their immediate surroundings or leave
their room (more info available in our resources pages)
After patient surroundings – Clean hands again after touching items
in the patient’s room or near a patient to prevent spread of patients germs on furniture
and other items (more info available in our resources pages)
Hand hygiene audits with immediate feedback are considered the gold standard in
improving hand hygiene compliance among HCWs of all grades.
more information
- Annalee Yassi, et al, 1993 Morbidity, cost and role of health care worker transmission in an influenza outbreak in a tertiary care hospital, Can J Infect Disease, 4(1) 52-58
- Norovirus outbreak costs – Lee, B.Y. et al, Economic impact of outbreaks of norovirus in hospitals, infect control and hosp epidemiology. 2011, (32.2) 191-193