The threat of falling hygiene standards looms over every hospital, both in the media and in worries from patients – and rightly so. Without a high standard of cleanliness in wards up and down the country, the likelihood of serious infection will rise to dangerous levels.
To find out more about the dangers inherent in hygiene safety, a quick look across the pond can teach us a lot.
In the US, the number of people losing their lives because of poor hygiene measures is at dangerous levels, with around 100,000 people dying every year thanks to hospital infections.
What’s more, up to 70 per cent of these infections are easily preventable if hand hygiene guidelines are followed.
The hand hygiene factors
Writing for the Daily Mail, Professor Sanjay Saint stated, “There are plenty of reasons hand hygiene compliance lags.
“For instance, sinks or hand rub dispensers aren’t always in convenient places in hospitals.
“When a doctor or nurse goes to clean their hands, there might not actually be soap or hand sanitizer in the dispenser.
“Some health care workers might be concerned about drying out their skin.
“Or some may still need convincing that hand hygiene is important.
“Finally, hand hygiene may simply be overlooked given other tasks that demand a health care worker’s attention in the often-chaotic hospital setting.”
Finding the solutions
It’s a list of reasons that can be easily quashed with consciousness raising and more effective placement of hygiene apparatus.
To avoid the inadequate hand hygiene of the US, it’s important that your washrooms and hygiene areas are exemplary in every hospital. So take a look at what we can offer you and consider your options.
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