Essay On Appropriat Hand Hygiene

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There are many surfaces in the hospital that may be overlooked when it comes to proper sterilization and can be classified as non-critical items as they only come in contact with skin not mucous membranes. These areas include blood pressure cuffs, stethoscope, bed pans among others. Other surfaces which may house these micro-organisms are computer keyboards, crash carts and procedure trays, soft surfaces including seat cushions, curtains, sheets and even carpets. Although minor these surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned with intermediate level disinfectants to prevent the spread of any harmful pathogen as most are resistant to disinfectants commonly used.
Kitchen and Food [5]
Around the world there are millions of cases of food bourne illness; in the United States alone there were seventy-five million cases of food borne illnesses, 325,000 resulting in hospitalizations and 5000 deaths as according to the CDC. The food-borne illnesses are a result of the consumption of ready to eat foods that were contaminated by poor hygiene protocol for the staff or the food itself or by contamination of fresh foods with raw foods, which is then given to the already immunocompromised patients.
Food handling and preparation alone may not be the problem, dishwashing may also contribute. If dishes are not washed properly at the correct temperature for the …show more content…

One of the most commons ways of cross-contamination is by hand, the hand is used to carry out all functions and as such hand hygiene is the most important measure to eliminate any form of contamination which prevents infections. This includes handwashing with antibacterial soap and water before and after assisting a patient in regards to doctors and before and after meal preparation in regards to kitchen staff. The use of gloves is essential as well as it prevents hands from coming in direct contact with any possible micro-organisms. Gloves should be discarded properly after single

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