Nursing is basically defined as an act of protection, optimization and also the promotion of abilities and also health, the act is promoted by nurses who are professionally trained on how to prevent injuries and illness as well as aiding in the alleviation of suffering on patients by clearly diagnosing and treating various human responses. In addition to this nursing as a profession serves as an advocacy in the care and protection of different individuals and even families. Therefore the basic elements and characteristics of nursing revolve around the practical professionalism of offering care for those who are either infirm or sick.
In order for nurses to achieve their main goal of enhancing human life and alleviating sickness it is important for the nurses to comply with various simple guidelines that have been put in place to enhance their working environment as well as making the environment healthy and safe for the patients whom they serve. Hand washing is one of the health guidelines aimed at making the health facilities conducive for both the nurses and the patients as well, it minimizes the transmission of germs and other agents of infection from one person to another. According to Florence Nightingale nursing involves the act of making use of the patients’ environment to assist him in his recovery (Selanders & Crane, 2012). Therefore hand washing is an aspect of configuring the settings within the patient’s environment to facilitate the gradual restoration of a patient’s health. Due to the fact that it minimizes the external transmission of agents that might in one way or another inhibit the patient’s recovery.
Nurses have continually broken the chain of non-compliance by ignoring the act of washing hands despite its acknowledged importance. To ensure that the nurses do not break this chain of compliance it is important that the nurses get to understand the Lewin’s change theory to avoid falling into the trap of non-compliance when they find themselves in a group setting (Cummings, Bridgman, & Brown, 2016). In that individual nurses should be aware of the driving force behind the washing of hands which is to enhance a healthy environment which is a nurse’s core duty and be aware of the restraining forces such as conformity within a group setting the more frequent nurses get to practice the act the easier the conformity with the set regulations get.
References
Cummings, S., Bridgman, T., & Brown, K. G. (2016). Unfreezing change as three steps: Rethinking Kurt Lewins legacy for change management. Human Relations, 69(1), 33–60.
Selanders, L. C., & Crane, P. C. (2012). The voice of Florence Nightingale on advocacy. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing.
