CAP Project
2
Handwashing Training to Curb the Spread of Covid 19
Bob Anderson
Grand Canyon University: NRS-493-0505
Instructor: Bartholomew Chris
10 /03/2021
Handwashing Training to Curb the Spread of Covid 19
Problem or Issue Description
Engaging in handwashing is the most effective and affordable way to reduce the spread of harmful germs, thus promoting the health of staff members. Enhancing the handwashing practice is essential in promoting healthy employees in the workplace and the general community. According to research reports, hands are the core pathways of transmitting germs during the healthcare process. Therefore, most health reports insist on maintaining hand hygiene to prevent the transmission of harmful germs and other adverse healthcare-associated infections (Liu et al., 2021). Most importantly, the paper focuses on training the staff members on handwashing to curb the spread of the fatal disease known as the Covid-19.
Health reports suggest an increase in the spread of the Coronavirus in most healthcare facilities due to the poor hand hygiene observed by the employees. Mainly, the Covid-19 gets transmitted directly or indirectly through touching contaminated surfaces or objects or interacting with infected people via nose and mouth secretions (El-Sokkary et al., 2021). Therefore, washing hands with running water and soap plays a major role in reducing the spread of the deadly disease. The issue of poor hand hygiene has been one of the major ways that have promoted the spread of the virus since contaminated surfaces and objects play a part in promoting the spread (Wang et al., 2021). Thus, training staff members on handwashing at regular intervals would be effective, especially after attending to the sick or touching common surfaces such as handles or doorknobs.
Criteria of Observing the Problem or Issue
Based on a personal perspective, it would be appropriate to perform a close survey and observation on two or more health facilities to determine why handwashing is a major problem. Close observation and survey would be effective by engaging in the daily routine performed by the staff members while in the healthcare facilities. On the other hand, it would be appropriate to consider the various opinions from the patients concerning the spread of the virus and whether the practice of hand hygiene is highly observed. By performing a close observation and survey on the staff members of the various health facilities, it would be easy to gather adequate information on what increases the spread of the virus (Shah et al., 2021). In this way, it assists in formulating new strategies to train the staff members on handwashing since it is the simplest and most effective way to reduce the spread of infections and viruses.
Description of the Problem
According to health reports, hand hygiene is the most effective approach to reduce the spread of infections. It works in fighting germs resistant to antibiotics or difficult to treat, such as the Coronavirus. Research reports conclude that about one in over twenty hospitals record at least one healthcare-associated infection (Curryer et al., 2021). Therefore, the paper focuses on making hand hygiene a normal routine for the staff members working in healthcare facilities. In this way, they will set a nice example to the patients, loved ones, and non-staff members making it easy to curb the spread of the virus. The various practices that the paper focuses on training the staff members are to maintain hand hygiene by washing hands with soap and running water, wearing disposable face masks and gloves while attending to patients, and frequent sanitization of the common surfaces such as handles and doorknobs (Ahmad & Osei, 2021). Majorly, the project focuses on handwashing due to its simplicity and effectiveness. The various directions of handwashing include using water and soap. After that, it is recommendable to rub the hands together, covering all surfaces until they feel dry. The rubbing process should take about twenty seconds to ensure that all surfaces get covered, including palms, wrists, fingers, thumbs, and fingernails. Finally, one needs to rinse the hands properly with running water and then wipe them dry.
Effect of the Problem
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) affirms that the spread of Covid-19 is high in health facilities since most staff members observe poor handwashing habits. Poor handwashing habits result in cross-contamination, promoting the spread of the virus (Barnett & Grabowski, 2020). On the other hand, staff members suffer from high pressure due to their job's exhausting nature, influencing their hygiene practices. Poor hand hygiene is among the key issues in health facilities since it promotes hospital-acquired infections. It increases the chances of acquiring illnesses by creating a conducive environment that encourages bacteria and germs to replicate rapidly.
Significance of the Topic and Its Implications for Nursing Practice
Hand hygiene is important to an individual's life since it assists them in fighting many infectious diseases. Research reports affirm that infectious diseases can easily be spread from one person to another via contaminated hands. The various diseases include Coronavirus, influenza, and colds spread through contaminated surfaces (Modi et al., 2020). Most importantly, the topic assists individuals by educating them on how to wash their hands properly. It is also significant for the nursing practice by preventing the spread of germs, thus preventing hospital-acquired infections. Therefore, the topic advises staff members in health facilities to promote hand hygiene to curb the spread of the virus.
Proposed Solution
Analyzing the practice of handwashing in health facilities assists in mitigating the spread of hospital-acquired infections. From a personal perspective, the best solution would be to enhance the awareness of the need to observe hand hygiene in fighting the spread of viruses and infections. Therefore, it would be appropriate if staff members adopt the practice of hand hygiene and set an example to their patients and loved ones to curb the spread of the deadly virus. On the other hand, health facilities should teach patients and other members the appropriate steps during handwashing.
References
Ahmad, I. A., & Osei, E. (2021). Occupational Health and Safety Measures in Healthcare Settings During COVID-19: Strategies for Protecting Staff, Patients, and Visitors. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 1-27.
Barnett, M. L., & Grabowski, D. C. (2020). Nursing homes are ground zero for the COVID-19 pandemic. In JAMA Health Forum (Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. e200369-e200369). American Medical Association.
Curryer, C., Russo, P. L., Kiernan, M., Wares, K. D., Smith, K., & Mitchell, B. G. (2021). Environmental hygiene, knowledge and cleaning practice: a phenomenological study of nurses and midwives during COVID-19. American journal of infection control.
El-Sokkary, R. H., El-Kholy, A., Mohy Eldin, S., Khater, W. S., Gad, D. M., Bahgat, S., ... & Mortada, E. M. (2021). Characteristics and predicting factors of Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) among healthcare providers in a developing country. Plos one, 16(1), e0245672.
Liu, H., Wang, Y., He, H. Y., Liu, L. B., Zhang, Q., Chen, J. L., & Liu, H. (2021). Experience of comprehensive interventions in reducing occupational exposure to COVID-19. Journal of Infection and Public Health, 14(2), 201-205.
Modi, P. D., Nair, G., Uppe, A., Modi, J., Tuppekar, B., Gharpure, A. S., & Langade, D. (2020). COVID-19 awareness among healthcare students and professionals in Mumbai metropolitan region: a questionnaire-based survey. Cureus, 12(4).
Shah, Z., Singh, V., Supehia, S., Mohan, L., Gupta, P. K., Sharma, M., & Sharma, S. (2021). Expectations of healthcare personnel from infection prevention and control services for preparedness of healthcare organization in view of COVID-19 pandemic. Medical journal armed forces India, 77, S459-S465.
Wang, Y., Qiang, W. M., Wang, C., Wu, P. P., Li, M. M., Kong, Q. Q., ... & Chen, L. (2021). Nursing management at a Chinese fever clinic during the COVID‐19 pandemic. International Nursing Review, 68(2), 172-180.