Effective infection control

 

Effective infection control

In effective infection control policy, several considerations are usually made mandatory in ensuring that the correct measures are followed for perfect healthcare perfection. These considerations as suggested by Kang & Mark (2012) include the basic infection control, environmental hygiene, surveillance and education, commitment of the senior health care management and the perfection of the local operating systems in the health care among the reporting of any new or advanced infection control implementation available to the health care center. The basic infection control involves addressing risks in health care, where bacteria and viruses which survive many hours are analyzed in specified conditions to ensure perfect environment for the patients in hospitals.

While addressing risk management in hospitals, Hellinger et al (2007) gave an example of bacteria which survive in dry conditions like staphylococcus aureus, which is capable of surviving in dry cotton for more than three months. In addition, Tilmouth (2009) addressed methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), which survives for over four months and therefore recommending equipments which are capable of contaminating the bacteria to be isolated from other ward environment like curtains and beddings. On maintaining environmental cleanliness, Higson (1998) suggested that a better environment can be maintained by doubling the cleaning hours since most bacteria and viruses which survive for longer hours prefer dusty environment, a condition which should be avoided in hospitals.

In discussing whether the current method of cleansing and sterilization should be favored over the use of disposable instruments, Kang and Mark (2012) emphasized on some key considerations which included the risk associated with the environment and equipments, the standards at which disinfection, sterilization or even cleaning are to be carried out, in addition to the standards of monitoring whether the correct standards have been achieved. On cleaning levels, there is the general cleaning which involves the physical removing of contamination. Disinfection is the other level which reduces the number of micro-organisms but does not necessarily kill all viruses or bacteria (Mehtar, 1992). Sterilization is therefore the perfect method of killing the invisible micro-organisms where the equipments are made perfect for reuse under no risk of contamination.

Since sterilization requires perfection of the process, more preference has been made on the single use equipments under several reasons as suggested by Mehtar (1992). The cost of sterilizing equipments is considered to be high since perfect sterilization has to follow all steps in the process. The time taken in sterilizing equipments is too much considering that hospitals require adequate time for address of emergencies. In addition, Hellinger et al (2007) considered the trust of the staff involved the sterilizing process as being the only way of believing that the correct steps in the sterilizing process were followed. These led to doubts as suggested by Kang and Mark (2012) that the sterilization process can only be considered as perfect only under very keen supervision.

In conclusion, use of disposable instruments is more trusted with high percentage trust of the contamination free environment since the instruments disposal are done under the national standards for environmental care. As Hellinger et al (2007) adds while addressing the recommended methods of cleansing and sterilization, only perfect following of the recommended steps makes the process perfect otherwise, the sterilization process can be considered as invalid. The cost and perfection reduces the trust of cleaning and sterilization process, making the disposable instruments favored for use in hospitals and healthcares.

References

Hellinger, W,C., Bacalis, L,P., Edelhouser, H,F., Mamalis, N., Milstein, B., & Masket, S. (2007). Recommended practices for cleaning and sterilizing intraocular surgical instruments. J Cataract Refract Surg, 33(6): 1095-1100.

Higson, N. (1996). Risk management: health and safety in primary care. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Kang, J., & Mark, B. A. (2012). Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections in U.S. Hospital Settings. Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mehtar, S. (1992). Hospital infection control: Setting up with minimal resources. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Tilmouth, T. (2009). Safe and clean care: infection prevention and control for health and social care students. Exeter, Devon: Reflect Press.

 

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