Reversing Back to the Basic: Infection Control Strategies

Healthcare-associated infections are estimated to cost the NHS approximately ￡1 billion a year. In addition to increased costs, each one of these infections means additional use of NHS resources, greater patient discomfort and a decrease in patient safety. In the wake of the growing burden of healthcare- associated infections (HCAIs), the increasing severity of illness and complexity of treatment, superimposed by multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogen infections, healthcare practitioners (HCPs) are reversing back to the basics of infection preventions by simple measures like hand hygiene. However, studies on hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers have repeatedly shown poor compliance with hand hygiene. Prospective observational data were collected over 2 weeks on the basic hand hygiene behaviour of the employees. Prospective observational data were collected over 2 weeks. Employees from different categories were observed in different occasions for 217 times. Only 37% of the consultants were bare bellow elbow while nursing staffs, ANPs and the domestics achieved 100% performance. While it was about the alcohol hand rub use, 37% of the consultants used hand rubs before and 33% both before and after. The ANPs achieved the highest performance, 70% of them used alcohol hand rub before and after each patient contact. The healthcare practitioners need to brace themselves to inoculate the simple, basic and effective practice of hand hygiene in their daily patient care activities. From this study, it is evident that the standard was partially met.