HOSPITAL & HEALTHCARE ESTABLISHMENT HYGIENE

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The World Health Organisation claims that up to 40% of healthcare-related superbug infections could be avoided by practising good hand hygiene. The Sepsis Allliance adds that many cases of the condition could be prevented with consistent hand hygiene and good wound care.

C. auris can survive for weeks on surfaces and can easily be spread from person to person or via contact with contaminated equipment. Advice from experts is to thoroughly clean and sanitise patients’ rooms using hospital-grade disinfectants, with particular attention being paid to shared equipment such as ventilators and glucometers along with high-touch surfaces such as bed rails and windowsills.

The Sepsis Alliance advises frequent hand washing using soap and water followed by a thorough dry using a clean towel. Meanwhile, the WHO urges all healthcare workers to adopt its ‘My Five Moments of Hand Hygiene’ which states that healthcare staff should wash their hands before touching a patient, before carrying out any aseptic procedure, after any exposure to body fluid, after touching a patient, and after touching the patient’s surroundings. However, while experts agree that strict hand hygiene helps to prevent the spread of superbugs, various studies over the years have shown a mixed level of hand hygiene compliance among healthcare staff. This is thought to be due to a number of factors including a shortage of time, the non-availability of products and a poor understanding about the importance of good hand hygiene. Some healthcare workers also complain of bad skin health due to frequent hand washing using harsh soaps and abrasive hand towels.

It is important to ensure that skinfriendly products are always made available and that healthcare workers understand the importance of using them. Mild soaps and soft hand towels will help to improve the hand washing experience. These should be provided in high-capacity dispensers that ensure a long-lasting supply while also being easy to use. For example, Tork Extra Mild Foam Soap is allergy-friendly and certified by ECARF, the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation, while Tork Xpress Extra Soft Multifold Hand Towels are soft, absorbent and gentle on the skin.

The Tork Skincare Dispenser has been designed to be particularly easy to use even for people with low hand strength, and the unit houses 2500 shots of foam soap which ensures that it will not run out when a handwash is urgently needed.

In cases where hand washing is impractical or inconvenient, staff should be encouraged to sanitise their hands using an alcohol gel or hand rub. Tork Alcohol Hand Sanitisers are available in a range of formats designed to be convenient for the medical worker’s use. And a fragrancefree conditioning cream such as Tork Nonperfumed Hand & Body Lotion will help to prevent chapping and soreness when used after hand washing.

Staff should also be instructed on the optimum way of washing their hands. Essity’s own Tork Clean Hands Training Module invites users into a digital world where they are confronted with a series of scenarios in which hand hygiene needs to be carried out. Developed in collaboration with behavioural scientists and hand hygiene experts, the course aims to provide hand hygiene guidance in an engaging way.

Cleaning has become more important than ever in hospitals to prevent bugs from lingering on surfaces. So it is important that cleaning operatives understand the need for frequent surface cleaning and are instructed in how this should be carried out in the most logical and hygienic way. Essity offers an interactive training and support package aimed at healthcare cleaning operatives and facility managers that takes staff through various real-world cleaning scenarios in an engaging way. Tork Interactive Clean Hospital Training takes place in a virtual hospital and incorporates modules on daily cleaning in occupied patient rooms plus discharge cleaning protocols. Each module is focused on learning by doing and is available in more than 15 languages besides English.

Superbugs remain an alarming threat to our health but the global pandemic has taught us the importance of cleaning and hygiene while also making us more resilient, practical and cautious. So by remaining alert to the threat, by stepping up cleaning and by improving hand hygiene compliance, hospitals can make great strides in reducing the risks posed by superbugs.