Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) cause significant preventable mortality and mobility but the healthcare workers (HCWs) still regard them as much less of a threat to the safety of patients when compared to adverse reactions caused by errors in medication administration and falls (Aziz, 2014). The incidences of HCAIs is a key patient safety indicator which can be improved by offering a safe environment to the patient while treating and caring for them. According to Aziz (2014), “The single most common way of transferring the microorganisms that cause HCAIs is on the hands of HCWs” (p. 433). It is for this reason that handwashing is one of the essential ways offering a safe environment to the patient. It reduces the carriage of pathogens found on the hand consequently decreasing the incidences of preventable HCAI.
In a patient setup, the HCWs are advised to observe the five moments for hand hygiene which include prior to aseptic technique, before patient contact, after contact with patient surroundings, after exposure to body fluids, and before the aseptic task. For hand hygiene to be effective there is a need for HCWs to observe hand hygiene compliance. However, there are some factors that act as barriers to compliance to hand hygiene, which include sore hands, workload, and poor facilities. To ensure compliance the following facilities can be availed: hand washbasins, automated or elbow operated taps, liquid soaps, and alcohol hand rubs.
The concept of hand hygiene is not new, however, many healthcare facilities are yet to address it in a systematic manner. This can be achieved through multiple actions which are geared towards tackling behavioral barriers and different obstacles through the use of the multimodal strategy for hand hygiene improvement (Aziz, 2014). This strategy is comprised of key components which include: change of systems through proper infrastructure that allows HCWs to practice hand hygiene; training and education on the importance of hand hygiene; evaluation and feedback on hand hygiene; reminders in the workplace in the importance of hand hygiene; and creating an institutional safety environment through fostering perceptions that enhance raising awareness on patient safety.
References
Aziz, A.-M. (2014). Hand Hygiene Compliance for Patient Safety. British Journal of Healthcare Management, 20(9), 428–434.
