The Importance of Sanitation It is the prime duty of every medical practitioner to take care of the sanitization of tools around the hospital or clinic. You can follow these steps for availing a fully sanitized environment: Insist people around you keep their hands sanitized When doctors and relatives of the patient come to examine him, it's your duty to remind them to keep their hands sanitized. Take into account alcohol-based sanitizers are kept around each patient. In case of the unavailability of sanitizers, 15 minutes lathering is enough to eliminate germs. Make sure that you wash your hands and forearms thoroughly, as these are the parts of the body most exposed, especially in bathrooms. Related: 5 Ways to Energize Yourself Without the Use of Energy Drinks Don't allow patients to shave! If your patient has undergone any surgery or is going to have a procedure, it is your duty to not to allow them to shave. Your skin performs the role of a safety shield, protecting your body from infections, as shaving with a razor leaves minor cuts behind. These cuts offer bacteria a path to enter into the body easily. If it is required to clean the area to be operated on, use a clipper instead of a razor. Kick the habit of smoking! Ask your patient if they smoke. Ask them to try kicking the habit for at least a few days before of the commencement of the surgery. Smoking reduces the potential of the lungs to scrub the carbon-dioxide and provide it with oxygen. Due to smoking habitats, the healing power of your body also decreases, and when body is deprived of oxygen, cells in the skin such as fibroblasts responsible for healing wounds, become less active. Wash the bugs away! It is suggested to clean the incision site before taking any sort of surgical actions. However, no matter how sterile the instruments are, they can drag infections and bacteria, surrounding the incision area. Ask your patients to bathe with some antiseptic cleansers, during pre as well as post surgery. The areas that are most likely to contain bacteria are armpits, groin, and the pubic area. Related: Why You Should Attend Nursing Events and Seminars Keep the patient warm! The body quickly responds to chilly air by constructing vessels that are responsible for the supply of blood to the skin and tissue. This will restrict blood that supplies oxygen to the incision area, resulting in a battle with invading germs. For a successful and fully sanitized surgery you can ask the surgical team on how to keep the patient warm.
Pre-surgery sanitization For many operations, especially those including the heart and bone, doctor's give pre-surgery antibiotics to nip infections in the before their inception. If you feel that your patient might have caught an infection, you must treat that patient first, discussing options with your clinical instructor. If your patient is suffering from a pre-surgery infection, avoiding that infection can heighten the chances of contracting other infections as well. Maintain good hygiene Look around the place you work. Being a nurse, your duty is not only to maintain the hygiene of patients, but to also take care of your surroundings as well. Cleanliness doesn't fall under the department of sanitization, but it is also your prime duty to maintain good hygiene in the hospital or clinic in which you practice. Related: Top Clinical Nurse Specialist and Recipient of a Southern Region Scholarship, Carolyn S Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter