The Importance Of Hand Hygiene

Introduction

Hand hygiene is the most important intervention in the prevention of cross-infection in healthcare setting (Ward, 2003). Hand hygiene has been recognized as the most important means of preventing the transmission of infection, and great emphasis has been placed on ways to improve hand hygiene compliance. The human body is home to more than 10,000 different microbes. Researchers say they've identified almost 99 percent of the microbes that live in and on the body. Many of these microbes are known pathogens, docile and peacefully coexisting with their neighbours. But healthcare workers (HCWs) know one thing to be true: those pathogens cannot be trusted. In the blink of an eye, pathogens can morph into the causative

Repercussions from the Lack of Hand Hygiene Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who require haemodialysis are at extremely high risk of Staphylococcus Aureus bacteraemia (Safdar, 2005). In the area of haemodialysis (HD) paying attention to hand hygiene and asepsis is especially important since there is an open access to the blood circulatory system. Study findings highlight that 3 of every 10 patients undergoing HD who develop Staphylococcus Aureus bacteraemia will also suffer further complications (Engemann et al., 2005). Staphylococcus Aureus bacteria are easily transmitted from patient to patient on the hands of health care providers and the patients themselves. In addition to the substantial morbidity and mortality associated with Staphylococcus Aureus infection, the economic cost of Staphylococcus Aureus bacteremia in this population is striking. (Engemann et al., 2005) According to Nissenson (2005) patients with end-stage renal disease and septicaemia caused by Staphylococcus Aureus had costly and lengthy hospitalisations, which frequently were associated with clinically and economically important complications, including hospital

Sepsis is a complex infection-induced syndrome characterized by a number of signs and symptoms. Along a continuum of severity, the systemic inflammatory response to a non-specific insult may lead to a generalized coagulopathy and inflammatory reaction in organs remote from the initial insult and possibly to organ dysfunction and failure. (Braun et al., 2003) When patients require long-term vascular access for haemodialysis (HD) it is important to prevent bloodstream infections since patients, whose immune system is compromised, are at increased risk of developing sepsis. Bacterial infections through vascular access, for example peripheral cannula, are also the major cause of morbidity of haemodialysis patients (Safdar, 2005, Alter et al., 2001, Braun et al., 2003, Arduino et al., 2005). Sepsis can result from an infection in various parts of the body and although a lay understanding of sepsis might include a reference to blood poisoning, a positive blood cultures are not needed to diagnose it. About 90 percent of the cases of sepsis are caused by gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria, but sepsis can also be caused by viruses or fungi. Infection is the major reason for patient to be admitted in hospital and some patients may develop infection while in hospital or outpatient clinic. Infections can be found in any system of