by LBrownless@absolutehygienesolutions.com | May 6, 2016 | Hand Hygiene
There seems to be so much information out there that you may find yourself wondering how you wash your hands properly. Glasgow Caledonian University researched into hand washing techniques in the healthcare industry and found that the six step method recommended by World Health Organisation is more superior to the standard method of rubbing your hands together for 20 seconds or so, followed by a rinse. Glasgow Caledonian University found this six step method was micro-biologically more effective for reducing the bacterial count (from 3.28 to 2.58) compared to the standard method. Healthcare professionals have to be more vigilant when washing their hands but we’ve made our own fun AHS poster that will help to promote excellent hand hygiene, no matter where you work. One way to think about it is you should wash your hands thoroughly for as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice. Wet hands and apply soap or hand sanitiser. Rub palms together until soap is bubbly Rub each palm over the back of the other hand Then rub between your fingers on each hand Rub the backs of your fingers against the opposite palm while interlocking your fingers Clasp your left thumb in your right palm and rub in a rotational motion, then switch hands and carry out the same step. Carry out rotational rubbing backwards and forwards while clasping the fingers of your right hand in the palm of your left and vice versa Click here to view our Clean Crew...
by LBrownless@absolutehygienesolutions.com | May 5, 2016 | Hand Hygiene
Here at AHS we work closely with the Healthcare industry from care homes to private and NHS hospitals and that is why we are supporting the World Health Organisation’s campaign, SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands. Washing your hands is the simplest way to prevent and control infections, which is incredibly important in the healthcare industry. However it is the lack of compliance among healthcare providers which causes problems worldwide. Just recently, shocking statistics were released that revealed a large majority of healthcare workers in outpatient care, did not wash their hands efficiently and in some cases, not at all. This campaign is working to improve hand hygiene globally, in surgical wards to operating theatres to outpatient surgical services to reduce HCAI (Health Care Associated Illness) and the burden on health systems. Hospital patients are more at risk of developing infections, especially if they have scars or wounds. Each time a healthcare worker touches a patient, microorganisms are transferred. These little micro-organisms have strong standing power as they can survive on hands for anything between 2 minutes to an hour. In the absence of hand hygiene action there is a greater degree of hand contamination. The possible implications of not washing your hands are huge – infections lead to more serious illnesses, prolonged hospital stays, financial costs and in the worst case, tragic loss. The good news is most health-care associated infections are preventable through hand hygiene – cleaning hands at the right time and in the right way. You can visit World Health Organisation’s website to find out lots more about hand hygiene and we have a few articles...
