It is quite common for us to go to the hospital every once in a while, either for a checkup or to visit a friend or relative. Isn’t it true that you go to the hospital to get better? Of course, but did you realize that you can catch an ailment while being cared for in the institution for something else?
A healthcare-associated illness, such as blood, surgical site, or UTI, might occur during your stay in the hospital. All this could easily be avoided if you could follow some simple guidelines. Here are pointers that you can observe to protect yourself from hospital infections. Let’s get to it!
Table of Contents
1. Hand Washing
Hand washing ought to be the cornerstone of decreasing hospital infections. Hands should be washed thoroughly for at least 20 seconds with warm soap and water. Furthermore, all employees and visitors to the hospital should be urged to wash their hands prior to drinking, eating, delivering care, and treating patients.
As a hospital, it is your duty to put several hand washing sections so that you can ensure that people are taking the handwashing seriously. It’s not that you will be bossing them around. It’s actually psychologically proven that people tend to remember things they are supposed to do if they see something associated with it. In this case, placing sinks around essential points will prompt them to wash their hands.
2. Make a Policy for Infection Control
The infection prevention and control policy specifies which patients are most likely to get or spread hospital infections. Whenever patients have been admitted with serious illness, they should be placed in isolation for precautions or otherwise prevented from interacting with other patients or personnel, the policy should specify this.
Measures such as single-use for syringes and other medical products. These products need to be of high quality since anything of any lower standards can easily expose them to infections. Medical plastic injection moulding company Seaskymedical can offer the best medical products.
Moreover, the hospital staff needs to be careful with how they handle things that pertain to the patients. If you have storage units, you need to ensure that they are kept at the right temperatures. A medium voltage contactor can be a great addition to your facility. It matters how the items are stored and those that need to be kept in extreme temperatures should not be exposed to anything that might get them infections.
If your facility has a medical processing unit, ensure that you get a quality machine. Levapack can packaging machine can be a great addition to your unit. Just ensure that you keep it clean. The last thing you want is to have patients directly inject contaminants.
3. Detect Contagions as Soon as Possible
Infections that are highly infectious, such as Clostridium difficile, must be detected as soon as feasible. Any patient with diarrhea, for instance, must be checked for C. diff right away. Individuals with respiratory problems should also be checked for the flu. There should also be an isolation room to keep all patients with contagious diseases. That way, you can protect your other patients in case of an outbreak.
It is also pivotal to be prepared for any emergencies. Have separate units and ensure that your staff does thorough tests on your patients.
4. Educate them About Infection Control
Employees must be able to recognize common illnesses and assist limit their spread. As a result, your company should give ongoing, recurrent infection control training. This includes instruction on bloodborne pathogens and illnesses spread by droplets.
5. Always use Gloves
When engaging with patients, health care personnel might not always wear gloves. Gloves must be used if any touch with blood or body fluids is probable, such as while changing bedding or emptying garbage cans. There should also be disposal bins at every room where patients are being treated so that staff dispose of the gloves every time they use them.
6. Surfaces Should be Disinfected and Kept Clean
Each room at a hospital must be properly cleaned using a bleach-based disinfectant between patients. As fresh patients are admitted, this serves to lessen infection spread by mistake. Non-patient facilities, such as the breakroom and the attendants’ workstation, must also be cleaned on a regular basis.
The Bottom Line
Infections are extremely harmful and can be fatal. For people with healing issues, such as diabetes, even little infections can become big difficulties. Begin taking these procedures right away to assist your team in preventing the spread of illness. Good luck!