2 Comments »

Infection rates are a serious concern. It’s something all joking aside we need to be takign very seriously. The infection rates are only those we know about, I’m sure in actual practice they are much higher than reported.

The challenge of handwashing is so complex, and in the past we have approached it in segments and without good thought.
I think it is becoming apparent that we have to truly look at the problem a new way — the old way is not working.
All employees and medical staff must sanitize or wash hands in front of the patient and family before touching the patient and furniture. Patient should be empowered to tell a physician or healthcare worker to wash/sanitize. If they do not, they should be given a card to call the infection prevention practitioner and report the offender.
Food handlers and housekeepers are just as important as direct healthcare givers and must be individually taught that their job is just as important as the nurse’s or doctor’s job in keeping the patient and the environment clean.
The patient sits in a one square meter area in a bed defecating and urinating AND EATING without washing hands.
We still give 18th century bed baths (spreading the bacteria around with water and contaminated wash cloths) rather than using newer technology items to clean patients daily.
We at Tenet are devising an entire new approach to this which includes point-of-care cleaning, patient empowerment, and recognition that we have an obligation to decolonize the millions of Americans who are admitted to hospital with community-acquired MRSA staph. It is truly a case where almost every aspect of interaction with the patient will have to be re-designed.
W.L. Williams, MD, MPH&TM, MBA
CMO Clinical Effectiveness
Tenet Healthcare/ Dallas

Your comment

Name (required)

E-Mail (Required, not published )

Website

HTML-Tags:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>