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

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Victor Martin English 101 Dr. Thom Young July 25, 2015 High Technology Used to Enforce Hand Hygiene: A Better Way for Health Care Compliance Can new technology be the solution for hand washing compliance in health care workers? The reductions of infections among patients can be greatly improved if they quit being irresponsible and start following hand hygiene policies. Hospitals need to enforce hand hygiene compliance rather than relying on doctors and nurses to do it themselves. Hand hygiene is an effective way to prevent the spread of hospital acquired infections, also known as nosocomial infections. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 40 percent of these infections in patients are caused by deficient hand hygiene of health care providers (Emery, 2015). The report also found that the average rate of them washing their hands was roughly 10 percent (Emery, 2015). For the most part, hand hygiene is not mandatory and hospitals only encourage their workers. However, there are

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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