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 nosocomial infections in patients are caused by poor hand hygiene of doctors and nurses. The report also found that the average hand washing rate for health care workers was roughly 10 percent. For the most part, hand
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The mortality rates of babies delivered by medical students and doctors were much higher than those delivered by midwives. He noticed that the medical students were coming in contact with cadavers and then delivering babies afterwards. However, the midwives were delivering babies without cadaver contact, so the mortality rates were low. So Semmelweis created an experiment where physicians washed their hands after working on cadavers and then delivering babies. As they started putting more emphasis on their hygiene along with the washing of surgical instruments, the post-delivery mortality rate improved because of this. As a result, Semmelweis realized that hand hygiene was very essential for any physician practice, and started mandatory hand-washing policies at hospitals and medical institutions. The younger doctors and medical students gave full support for his practices. However, the senior faculty stuck to the miasmatic theory of infection, where they claimed that the hospital’s new ventilation system has spread bad air that was notably responsible for spreading bacteria that cause infections. Semmelweis’ hand hygiene policies were not continued. Despite all that, two decades later, he …show more content…
These pictures usually instruct how to wash hands and other ways to avoid spreading infections. This is very effective to health care workers as it can help them comply and understand the mistakes they find in their own techniques. However, it only encourages them to comply rather than enforce them. Even though this way can be effective, doctors and nurses will not be going to these posters just to comply. This method only influences them to wash their hands, but not to the extent of actually imposing them to do it, since actions speak louder than words. The education found within these posters are very informative, but no one is going to read them every day. As time passes, most health care professionals will get used to seeing these placards to the extent of walking past them without even noticing them. Posters and images do give them reminders for hand hygiene, but it does no good in enforcing it. There are three other techniques that could really enforce hand washing and can perhaps revolutionize hand hygiene compliance among health care
The mortality rates of babies delivered by medical students and doctors were much higher than those delivered by midwives. He noticed that the medical students were coming in contact with cadavers and then delivering babies afterwards. However, the midwives were delivering babies without cadaver contact, so the mortality rates were low. So Semmelweis created an experiment where physicians washed their hands after working on cadavers and then delivering babies. As they started putting more emphasis on their hygiene along with the washing of surgical instruments, the post-delivery mortality rate improved because of this. As a result, Semmelweis realized that hand hygiene was very essential for any physician practice, and started mandatory hand-washing policies at hospitals and medical institutions. The younger doctors and medical students gave full support for his practices. However, the senior faculty stuck to the miasmatic theory of infection, where they claimed that the hospital’s new ventilation system has spread bad air that was notably responsible for spreading bacteria that cause infections. Semmelweis’ hand hygiene policies were not continued. Despite all that, two decades later, he …show more content…
These pictures usually instruct how to wash hands and other ways to avoid spreading infections. This is very effective to health care workers as it can help them comply and understand the mistakes they find in their own techniques. However, it only encourages them to comply rather than enforce them. Even though this way can be effective, doctors and nurses will not be going to these posters just to comply. This method only influences them to wash their hands, but not to the extent of actually imposing them to do it, since actions speak louder than words. The education found within these posters are very informative, but no one is going to read them every day. As time passes, most health care professionals will get used to seeing these placards to the extent of walking past them without even noticing them. Posters and images do give them reminders for hand hygiene, but it does no good in enforcing it. There are three other techniques that could really enforce hand washing and can perhaps revolutionize hand hygiene compliance among health care