Capstone on the importance of hand hygiene (Other (Not Listed) Sample)

FLEX RN-BSN NURSING ASSESSMENTS COVER PAGE Alexandria Baranova Capstone “Main Stream” Assignment #1 April 16th, 2024 Academic honesty statement: By submitting this paper for grading I am certifying that it is entirely my work, with any words and/or ideas from other sources properly cited in the text of the paper and in the final reference list. Alexandria Baranova Title: Implementing a structured hand hygiene training and education program among healthcare staff to reduce nosocomial infections in 6 months. Introduction Evidence-based practice (EBP) in nursing is an approach of providing patient care that combines the best available evidence with clinical expertise, patient preferences, and values in order to enhance clinical patient outcomes, the quality of healthcare, and decrease healthcare costs. It calls for nurses to critically appraise evidence, taking into account its relevance and validity, as well as how it best applies to individual patients. Nurses should also be able to come to clinical conclusions while involving their patients in decision-making. Nurses, on the other hand, must document their evidence, evaluate potential outcomes, and strive for constant improvement in order to guarantee high-quality clinical outcomes and enhanced patient care. I feel immense gratitude to be working as an infusion RN. The credit goes to my perseverance, determination and my hard work (and the exceptional nursing program and faculty at Indian River State College as well as the leadership skills I’ve gained at UW Milwaukee). I was able to acquire in depth EBP knowledge virtues and skills in intravenous and nutritional skills on how to be a holistic/integrative infusion nurse in a cutting-edge practice. In any healthcare system, patient safety is the number-one priority. Hand hygiene stands out as the fundamental aspect of infection prevention in any healthcare setting. Proper adherences to the hand hygiene protocol by the medical staff can significantly minimize the risk of nosocomial infections thus reduction of potential complications to patients (Martos-Cabrera et al., 2019). Luangasanatip et al. (2015) suggests that, in order to achieve and sustain high levels of hand washing adherences in a healthcare setting, a variety of effective evidence-based training methods and educational strategies should be implemented and upheld correctly. This quality improvement project is designed to implement a structured hand hygiene training and education program among health care workers in an ambulatory clinic on the West Coast in the United States in order to reduce nosocomial infections in the hospital setting over 6 months. In my ambulatory clinic, there is this one of the best Lyme disease doctors in the world, whom I cannot reveal his name due to the anonymous requirement for this paper, hence we will be referring him as Dr. G. He specializes with environmental illness, Lyme disease, co-infections, Mast Cell disease and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) among other complex chronic conditions. Dr. G happens to be a legendary healthcare provider and team player in the system whose culture is great and committed to quality, safety, cleanliness and promoting a culture of collaboration and teamwork. As I was discussing my QI project with him, he said that, “I’m on board with anything to make what we do cleaner and safer.” We will closely scrutinize the effective training methods and approaches, the implemented educational strategies and assessing the effectiveness in maintaining optimal hand washing adherences among the staff over time. As we review these factors, we can gain valuable knowledge and insights on how to ensure optimum hand hygiene practices among the healthcare staff thereby enhancing patient safety outcomes and reducing Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs). Literature review 1 The consistency of Hand Disinfection According to Gould et al. (2017), most Healthcare associated infections spread by direct contact especially hands of health workers. Transmission of micro-organisms in a healthcare setting can be prevented either by mechanical removal using soap and water, aqueous antiseptic or alcohol based hand rubs. To effectively eliminate HAIs, the frequency of hand hygiene should be multimodal (Gould et al., 2017). The multimodal system consists of education on hygiene, constant hand hygiene reminders, performance feedback, managerial support, soap, water and alcohol based hand rubs. He suggests that in addition to implementing educational training programs, we should also implement the use of cues such as signs and posters to remind the fraternity on the importance of hand hygiene and the appropriate procedure to do it. On top of that, the scent of hygiene products may also slightly improve the hand hygiene compliance. Their study concludes on how healthcare systems should research on both simple and multimodal interventions in order to identify which combination of strategies are most effective in a particular context. 2 Status of hand hygiene compliance de Kraker et al. (2022) utilized the WHO Hand Hygiene Self-Assessment Framework in 2019 to conduct a comprehensive global survey aiming to evaluate on how hand hygiene practices are implemented in healthcare facilities worldwide. His study provided detailed insights on hand hygiene compliance indifferent healthcare settings across the world. He assessed the evidence based strategies of hand hygiene such as resources, infrastructure, training programs guidelines, adherence and interventions. This can be applied in my ambulatory clinic by identifying the areas for improvement in resource utilization, infrastructure, training program guidelines, and other interventions to improve hand hygiene compliance. In return, there will be an ultimate reduction in the incidences of Healthcare associated Infections(HAIs) and improved patient safety outcomes. 3 The multifaceted approach of Hand Disinfection Most Healthcare Associated Infections spread by direct contact especially with hands of health workers. Transmission of micro-organisms in a healthcare setting can be prevented either by mechanical removal using soap and water, aqueous antiseptic or alcohol based hand rubs. A multifaceted approach to hand disinfection should be implemented to address the complex nature of hand hygiene compliance by incorporating various interventions such as education, reminders, performance feedback, and managerial support. According to the review (Luangasanatip et al., 2015), the multifaceted approach consists of a variety of interventions i.e., education on hygiene, constant hand hygiene reminders, performance feedback, managerial support, soap, water and alcohol based hand rubs. He suggests that in addition to implementing educational training programs, we should also implement the use of cues such as signs and posters to remind the fraternity on the importance of hand hygiene and the appropriate procedure to do it. On top of that, the scent of hygiene products may also slightly improve the hand hygiene compliance. Their study concludes on how healthcare systems should research on both simple and multimodal interventions in order to identify which combination of strategies are most effective in a particular context. 4 The efficacy of different hand hygiene approaches. Martos-Cabrera et al. (2019) conducted a review on hand hygiene teaching strategies among the nursing staff. He assessed the effectiveness of hand rubbing with an alcoholic based sanitizer to the standard seven step technique of handwashing with water and soap. It was noted that hand rubbing with alcohol based solution seemed faster hence time saving but not as efficient as hand washing in eliminating germs. He sheds light into the benefit of considering the effectiveness of hand hygiene approach beyond their convenience. He suggests that health workers should opt for thorough handwashing to ensure optimal elimination of Healthcare associated infections. Study Methodology A pre-survey was conducted among Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and student nurses at my ambulatory clinic to assess their knowledge on hand hygiene practices and adherences. This assessment was done by use of questionnaires to gauge the staff’s level of understanding of proper hand hygiene to the level where these practices became their normal daily routine. Forty-six people participated in the study. The participation in the structured hand washing training program was intensively monitored by both heads of staff and individuals on a daily and weekly basis to ensure active participation and engagement of the whole staff. The adherences to the program were diligently noted and timely adjustments and interventions were made where necessary. The consistency of adherence was further evaluated by closely monitoring the quantity of soap, sanitizer, and water used weekly by healthcare workers on a weekly basis. By meticulously recording the usage quantity of these hygiene products, insights into the frequency and consistency of hand hygiene practices among staff members were gained, facilitating a thorough assessment of the efficacy of the implemented training program in promoting sustained adherence to proper hand hygiene protocols within the healthcare setting. Current Practice A review by de Kraker et al. (2022) provided detailed insights on hand hygiene compliance indifferent healthcare settings across the world. He assessed the evidence based strategies such as resources, infrastructure, training programs guidelines, adherence and interventions and how they may affect hand hygiene adherence. Different resource inputs will affect the staff differently. For example, changes in skin texture are prevalent among health workers. When a HCP has a cut or broken skin, alcohol-based disinfectants can cause discomfort to the area. In the work area at an ambulatory clinic, hand hygiene practice with an alcohol ...