A HOLISTIC
APPROACH
TO INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL RYAN CLARKE*
iStockphoto.com/Charday Penn
T
he safety of residents, visitors and healthcare workers is reliant on effective infection prevention and control practices. This article highlights four critical factors that can help reduce the yearly occurrence of over 165,000 healthcare associated infections (HAIs).1
HYGIENE COMPLIANCE
Up to 50% of HAIs are preventable in healthcare facilities by implementing hand hygiene programs, generating cost savings of 16x the implementation cost.2 However, improving hand hygiene compliance requires a multidimensional approach. A key strategy to reducing the spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms is improving hand hygiene compliance among workers.3 Here are some ways to improve hand hygiene compliance among staff. 1. Train staff to practise the five moments of hand hygiene and post signage. 2. Make it a competition by sharing your audit results. 3. Talk about hand hygiene at every opportunity.
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NOVEMBER 2022 - AGED HEALTH 33
