Solution Description-Hand Hygiene
Hand Hygiene
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Proposed Solution
Poor hand hygiene has been established as one of the factors facilitating Hospital-Acquired Infections. Poor hand hygiene in both patients and healthcare providers can cause these infections; hence hand hygiene should be observed by both (Manresa et al., 2020). Hand hygiene in patients is crucial and can be achieved through handwashing or the use of hand sanitizers. It is, however, important to note that hand sanitizers can cause broken skin that can be more vulnerable to infections (Bondurant et al., 2020). The use of hand sanitizers for patients may be more frequent because of the flexibility of use, whereas handwashing with soap and water would need access to a water source. The effectiveness of alcohol-based hand sanitizers compared to handwashing with soap and water is similar; therefore, both can be used to increase hand hygiene. The proposed solution to reduce hospital-acquired infections includes educating the patients on the proper handwashing methods (Tony-Butler et al., 2020). For effective infection prevention, the handwashing process has to be thorough. Patients must learn how to wash their hands and remove germs properly. In regards to hand sanitizers, patients must be educated on which types of hand sanitizers are the most effective in killing bacteria. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are most effective if they fall between 60 and 95 percent concentration (Fred et al., 2020). If the percentages are lower or higher, these sanitizers will be ineffective in killing germs. Patient education is an appropriate intervention because it is not costly and can be facilitated within the healthcare process, thereby not time-consuming.
Organization Culture
Solution Description-Hand Hygiene
There are a few ways in which the proposed solution relates to organizational culture. The goal of our organization is to increase healthcare quality through all necessary means, which include patient education. One of the nursing roles is to facilitate patient education; hence the intervention falls in line with the job descriptions. The resources that will be used to facilitate the intervention will include brochures that will help them remember the information taught by their healthcare providers. These resources can be easily acquired and at an insignificant cost.
Expected Outcomes
The expected outcomes from the intervention will be increased handwashing practices and a more educated choice of hand sanitizers in patients. Patient education increases awareness about the issue, which will prompt the patient to be keener in complying with handwashing practices. Hand sanitizers kill bacteria present on the hands of the patient. The presence of fewer pathogens on the hands of a patient reduces the chances of HAI significantly (Andriani & Nadjib, 2018). With increased hand hygiene through handwashing and hand sanitizers, the expected changes will reflect in reduced infections and increase patient outcomes. Patients will report better experiences through the educational programs as they will become more knowledgeable on improving health by preventing germs. Increased patient experience along with better patient outcomes reflect directly to the increased quality of healthcare.
Methods to Achieve Outcomes
The intervention objectives will be achieved through the use of nurses as facilitators. Nurses will ensure that they facilitate an educational session with the patients that they handle. It will be done during the working hours to make it easier and to make it less time-consuming. Nurses will facilitate face-to-face training and still hand out informational brochures for the patients to refer to later. The information will include the proper handwashing processes and the method of evaluating the effectiveness of hand sanitizers. One of the barriers to the intervention would be poor knowledge retention. If the patients do not retain the correct information about handwashing and hand sanitizer choices, the outcomes might not be positive. Elimination of the barrier in the intervention plan will require the use of portable information reminders such as brochures.
Outcome Impacts
The outcomes of the intervention will improve the quality of care by reducing hospital-acquired infections. These infections reflect on poor healthcare processes and affect the quality of healthcare. These outcomes are patient-centered because they focus on the involvement of the patient in the healthcare process. If healthcare providers observe hand hygiene and the patient does not observe it, the patient outcomes will still be poor (Manresa et al., 2020). Healthcare is focused on improving the patient’s health and not deteriorating it, therefore, ensuring patient e