Hand washing is important to remove dirt and most transient organisms (Class notes, 2012). Hand washing is one of the main ways to stop the spread of viruses and everyone working in a care facility should carry out this process. Staff should wash their hands at the start of every shift, before and after attending to each client and after they have used the toilet. Posters should be placed above sinks and at their desks reminding them to wash their hands, also around the corridors and in toilets so patients and visitors are aware of it. Hand washing in a care environment is vitally important due to the amount of sick and vulnerable patients that care staff looks after on a day to day basis.
The main cause of body odor is interaction of sweat and bacteria created by the apocrine glands. Additionally body odor may result of improper bathroom habits which also cause urine or feces odor. Bad breath is another noticeable result of improper hygiene. Regular hand washing are the best ways to avoid diseases of different diseases. Hands are in continuous contact with the face as well as the environment this providing for easy transportation of germs.
As a phlebotomist in blood collection, you wash your hands before and after each patient. Also between each patient you can use antiseptic hand cleanser. It is also important to wear the proper protective clothing that would provide a barrier against infection. This protective clothing and any thing you wear to protect you is called PPE or Personal Protective Equipment. Examples of PPE’s are gloves, gowns, lab coats, face shields, masks, and goggles.
Unit 15 Paediatric Emergency First Aid 1.1 Identify the responsibilities of a paediatric first aider The responsibilities of a paediatric first aider are:• To preserve life• To prevent deterioration• To promote recovery• Passing on information- by passing on information of the incident to medics and parent. 1.2 Describe how to minimise the risk of infection to self and others You can minimise risk of infection to yourself by using gloves as this stops any skin to skin contact with the patient. It is important to that when treating lacerations that they are washed with sterile water, minimising infection for the patient. It is important to make sure that all equipment you use is sterile, as well as bandages ect. When performing CPR you can use a plastic mouth guard.
Equipment in the clinical environment must be decontaminated appropriately after each use and before moving onto another service user. When using detergents disinfectants and cleaning chemicals, the correct PPE must be worn. Clean and dirty items must be correctly stored and separated. 1.2 Explain the purpose of cleaning schedules Cleaning schedules are put in place to inform staff and visitors – who cleaned, what is cleaned, what time and day cleaning happened, how often cleaning happens, whether something needs to be cleaned daily, weekly or monthly, and what chemicals were used to clean. 1.3 Describe how the correct management of the environment minimises the spread of infection By ensuring all staff are fully
Unit 4222-264 the Principles of Infection Prevention and Control Outcome 1 1.1 As an employee it is our responsibility to adhere to company policies and procedures as well as those implemented by localised procedures. This means any communicable diseases which are notifiable, must be brought to the attention of the appropriate authority if I have any concerns what so ever regarding the management of infectious diseases in the workplace, I should record and contact line manager, who will seek professional advice. All employees must also observe general Precautions, other rules specific to a particular work activity must also be observed. Preventing infection Employees can help by: Washing hands when appropriate Keeping equipment clean Remaining vigilant and reporting potential hazards Attending infection control training and keeping updated Wearing Personal Protective Equipment Maintaining personal hygiene Disposing of waste correctly 1.2 Employers have a duty of care to all employees under the health and safety legislation, which gives the employers the responsibility to protect employees from danger and harm, as far as possible. Employers must provide a safe work place Carry out risk assessments to assess the dangers of certain work activities Provide training for all staff Provide personal protective equipment Ensure regular health and safety checks are undertaken Employer’s responsibilities extend to protecting employees from the risk posed by biological hazards such as blood, body fluids and associated infections.
Clean hands are also important, as this ensures that any contact with bacteria that your hands have come into contact with does not have the chance to spread. Washing hands with soap and water regularly will reduce the risk of illnesses like novo virus, MRSA and colds and flu from having a chance to spread to our patients. Outcome 2 2.1 Explain how to address personal hygiene issues with an individual in
1. Understanding the Importance of Good Personal Hygiene Personal hygiene is important for many reasons; these can be personal, social, health reasons, psychological or simply as a way of life. Essentially, keeping a good standard of hygiene helps to prevent development and spread of infections, illnesses and bad odours. Many people can be conscious of hygiene needs and self-esteem, confidence and motivation can suffer through bad hygiene practice. Any injuries or cuts and grazes are present then the wound should be cleaned and dressed as this can help reduce the risk of infection and pain.
Hand washing is one of the most important ways of reducing and controlling the spread of infections. (Storr 2004). Good hand washing is the first line of defence against the spread. Hand washing is to remove pathogenic microorganisms. Transient microorganisms are found on nurse’s hand which unfortunately is the source of HAI; fortunately they can be removed when the nurses wash their hands.
However, ceratin quipment used in the clinical area must be decontaminated correctly after contact with patients, to prevent the spread of infection and ensure it is clean for the next patient or member of staff that will use this. Dirty and clean items should be stored correctly and seperately to prevent cross contamination. If there is a suspected or definate infection outbreak then specific cleaning agents should be used throughouly, following the guidelines. During an outbreak, or afterwards, cleaning scedules should be increased to ensure the protection and prevention of said infection. Explain the purpose of cleaning schedules: Cleaning scedules are put in place to inform staff, visitors,