Proper hand washing and other low cost measures are the first defense against outbreaks of influenza. Handwashing, education and diligence in schools will help decrease the risk for a national flu pandemic. We have already witnessed the deaths of children in our local communities this year and have seen the closure of schools as recently as this past week. In order to create a disaster plan in the event of an increase in illness, education in schools is a first-line defense in the spread of infection. Nurses and other health care professionals need to be utilizing all of these preventative measures and disseminating any information available at all of their facilities.
Problem Statement
There are many possible factors contributing to this …show more content…
That problem specifically, is the lack of hand hygiene or decreased hand hygiene in the high school population. This is increasing the transmission of microbes. Ineffective hand hygiene is a nationwide problem. Despite practice recommendations, effective hand hygiene continues to remain a problem, affecting absenteeism rates from school and transmission of microbes among school age students. Almost half of school aged students have acquired an infection causing absenteeism from school. Frequent hand-to–mouth and close contact activities without proper hand washing, put school age students at a higher risk for acquiring or transmitting an illness (Chen, Lee, Lee, Leung and Tong, 2015, p. 907). Previous studies have suggested that the frequency of handwashing is low. Having a better understanding of influences that prohibit and inhibit hand hygiene would assist with effective hand hygiene. Schools are similar to the hospital setting, which have close, crowded areas that enhance microbial spread influencing more illnesses. Studies have shown that two out of five people do not wash their hands after using the restroom, contributing to the low levels of hand hygiene that increase microbial transmission (Champlin, Liang, & Mackert, 2013, p.
Problem Statement
There are many possible factors contributing to this …show more content…
That problem specifically, is the lack of hand hygiene or decreased hand hygiene in the high school population. This is increasing the transmission of microbes. Ineffective hand hygiene is a nationwide problem. Despite practice recommendations, effective hand hygiene continues to remain a problem, affecting absenteeism rates from school and transmission of microbes among school age students. Almost half of school aged students have acquired an infection causing absenteeism from school. Frequent hand-to–mouth and close contact activities without proper hand washing, put school age students at a higher risk for acquiring or transmitting an illness (Chen, Lee, Lee, Leung and Tong, 2015, p. 907). Previous studies have suggested that the frequency of handwashing is low. Having a better understanding of influences that prohibit and inhibit hand hygiene would assist with effective hand hygiene. Schools are similar to the hospital setting, which have close, crowded areas that enhance microbial spread influencing more illnesses. Studies have shown that two out of five people do not wash their hands after using the restroom, contributing to the low levels of hand hygiene that increase microbial transmission (Champlin, Liang, & Mackert, 2013, p.