high technology used to enforce hand hygiene: a better way for health care compliance

Victor MartinEnglish 101Dr. Thom YoungJuly 25, 2015High Technology Used to Enforce Hand Hygiene:A Better Way for Health Care ComplianceCan new technology e the solution !or han" washing com#liance in health care wor$ers%The re"uctions o! in!ections among #atients can e greatly im#ro&e" i! they 'uit eing irres#onsile an" start !ollowing han" hygiene #olicies. (os#itals nee" to en!orce han" hygiene com#liance rather than relying on "octors an" nurses to "o it themsel&es. (an" hygiene is an e!!ecti&e way to #re&ent the s#rea" o! hos#ital ac'uire" in!ections, also $nown as nosocomial in!ections. )ccor"ing to the *orl" (ealth +rgani,ation -*(+., /0 #ercent o! these in!ections in#atients are cause" y "e!icient han" hygiene o! health care #ro&i"ers -Emery, 2015.. The re#ort also !oun" that the a&erage rate o! them washing their han"s was roughly 10 #ercent -Emery, 2015.. 0or the most #art, han" hygiene is not man"atory an" hos#itals only encourage their wor$ers. (owe&er, there are techni'ues to"ay that actually en!orce "octors an" nurses to wash their han"s. (os#itals that use these techni'ues ha&e re#orte" more com#liance as well as less in!ection rates among #atients. The im#ortance o! han" washing !or health care wor$ers was !irst "isco&ere" y 1gna, 2emmelweis, the 3!ather o! in!ection control.4 Through his wor$ on in!ection control in the maternity war"s o! Vienna, )ustria in the 15/0s, he notice" that there were high mortality rates o! aies. The mortality rates o! aies "eli&ere" y me"ical stu"ents an" "octors were much higher than the ones that mi"wi&es "eli&ere". (e notice" that the me"ical stu"ents were coming in contact with ca"a&ers an" then "eli&ering aies a!terwar"s. (owe&er, the mi"wi&es were "eli&ering aies without ca"a&er contact, so the mortality rates were low.2o 2emmelweis create" an e6#eriment where #hysicians washe" their han"s a!ter wor$ing on ca"a&ers an" then "eli&ering aies. )s they starte" #utting more em#hasis on their hygiene along with the washingo! surgical instruments, the #ost7"eli&ery mortality rate im#ro&e" ecause o! this. )s a result, 2emmelweis reali,e" that han" hygiene was &ery essential !or any #hysician #ractice, an" starte"man"atory han"7washing #olicies at hos#itals an" me"ical institutions. The younger "octors an" me"ical stu"ents ga&e !ull su##ort !or his #ractices. (owe&er, the senior !aculty stuc$ to the miasmatic theory o! in!ection, where they claime" that the hos#ital8s new &entilation system has s#rea" a" air that was notaly res#onsile !or s#rea"ing acteria that cause in!ections. 2emmelweis8 han" hygiene #olicies were not continue". Des#ite all that, two "eca"es later, he recei&e" rememrance !or his en"owment towar"s han" hygiene, ut it only came a!ter 9ouis :asteur "isco&ere" more e&i"ence o! acteria an" antise#tic #ro!icinecy. These scientists were #ioneers in how im#ortant han" washing is to"ay, in the #re&ention o! s#rea"ing in!ections to #atients. 1n many hos#itals to"ay, health care wor$ers are not com#lying with han" washing, e&en though they are aware o! the e&i"ence o! how #oor han" hygiene can s#rea" in!ections to #atients. )s state" #re&iously, less than 10 #ercent o! health care wor$ers wash their han"s routinely -Emery, 2015.. )mong all health care wor$ers, "octors ha&e one o! the lowest com#liance to han" washing -Young, 201;.. This is really #athetic an" careless eha&ior an" has le" to a##ro6imately ase" on the current research, these techni'ues ha&e shown a ma?or im#ro&ement when they are in use. E&en though these technologies are &ery e6#ensi&e, in the long run, it has the #otential to sa&e many li&es. This will also cut me"ical costs, ecause now there are !ewer #atients to ta$e care o! with in!ections.1m#ro&ing han" hygiene will "e!initely ma$e hos#itals aroun" the nation a sa!er an" cleaner #lace. These three technologies ha&e een stu"ie" y researchers an" show #romising results !or increasing han" washing com#liance. E&ery health care wor$er in the hos#ital has an oligation to #re&ent the s#rea" o! in!ections to #atients. (ealth care #ro&i"ers nee" to sto# eing sel!7centere", ut !ocus their attention on #atient sa!ety. There will also e a "ecrease in the "eath rate ecause o! less transmission o! these #athogens !rom health care wor$ers. +&er time, the cost o! these technologies will #roaly "ro# ecause o! increase" "eman" !rom manu!acturers as more hos#itals use them. En!orcing han" hygiene com#liance is a etter way to attac$ the #rolem rather than encouraging health care wor$ers to ta$e it u#on themsel&es. )s we $now, when le!t u# to the "octors an" nurses, han" hygiene is o!ten neglecte". 2o let8s ta$e action now e!ore it8s too late.References)rmellino, D., (ussain, E., 2chilling, M. E., 2enicola, *., Eichorn, )., Dlugac,, Y., E 0arer, >. 0. -2011.. =sing (igh7Technology to En!orce 9ow7Technology 2a!ety MeasuresF The =se o! Thir"7#arty @emote Vi"eo )u"iting an" @eal7time 0ee"ac$ in (ealthcare. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 54-1., 17