Respiratory viruses result in various diseases such as pneumonia, influenza, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Often, these viruses spread through respiratory droplets when the infected people cough, sneeze, speak or breathe within a close range of uninfected people. Other times, tiny liquid droplets survive on surfaces, increasing the likelihood of their transmission through contact with infected surfaces. Healthcare professionals are susceptible to respiratory viruses because of their proximal interactions with patients and physical contact when delivering care (Abbas et al., 2021). Therefore, hand hygiene emergences as an essential strategy for preventing the spread of respiratory viruses from patients to caregivers. Eventually, staff education and availing protocols for hand hygiene are necessary measures for ensuring adherence to hand hygiene standards.
Setting/Context of the Problem
In the emergency and general wards, healthcare professionals are susceptible to respiratory viruses due to frequent contact with patients and contaminated surfaces, including care equipment. According to Roshan et al. (2020), high rates of hospital-associated infections (HAIs), including ventilator-associated pneumonia, signify poor compliance to hand hygiene guidelines. With the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelming the emergency department and general wards, it is essential to bolster hand hygiene protocols to prevent further viral transmissions.
Problem Description
Respiratory viruses result in pneumonia, influenza, SARS-COV-2, and Covid-19. Often, viral diseases affect people’s quality of life by leading to morbidity, mortalities, prolonged hospitalization, and increased economic cost (Haque, 2020). As a result, viral transmission from patients to healthcare workers and vice versa exacerbates the situation by compromising the professional and organizational capacity to provide quality care. With the COVID-19 pandemic emerging as the most dangerous viral disease in terms of overwhelming healthcare organizations, it is essential to strictly adhere to hand hygiene guidelines to prevent further transmission. However, the effectiveness of hand hygiene in decreasing respiratory viruses relies massively upon leadership commitment, the presence of promotional activities, and knowledge of the five moments of handwashing (Engdaw, Gebrehiwot, & Andualem, 2019). Therefore, it is imperative to ensure that the organizational culture supports hand hygiene protocols.
Effects of the Issue
As noted earlier, respiratory viruses result in multiple health ramifications, including increased disease prevalence, mortalities, prolonged hospitalization, and compromised quality of life. These consequences prompt healthcare professionals to embrace interventions for intercepting viral transmission at the hospital level. According to Sands & Aunger (2020), hand hygiene is the simplest and most effective prevention of healthcare-associated infections. Although this procedure is simple and effective, healthcare professionals’ compliance to hand hygiene protocols is generally low, considering inconsistencies in knowledge, awareness, and organizational norms. When adherence to hand hygiene guidelines is low, healthcare professionals become more susceptible to respiratory viruses.
Significance of the Topic and its Implications to Nursing Practice
Undoubtedly, understanding transmission patterns for respiratory viruses is one of the most profound strategies for preventing incidences and the prevalence of subsequent viral diseases (Leung, 2021). Since respiratory viruses spread primarily through tiny liquid droplets from infected people, reducing contact by promoting hand hygiene is possible. According to Gould et al. (2017), hand hygiene disrupts the chain of infection by facilitating the mechanical removal of disease-causing pathogens. Often, washing hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rubs (AMBRs) is a proven intervention for preventing virus transmission. Therefore, the approach is consistent with the need to ensure a safer organizational environment and intercept transmission patterns for viruses, especially in this era of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Proposed Solution to the Problem
Hand hygiene guidelines complement other preventive measures of viruses transmission, including facemask use and other personal protective equipment (De Angelis et al., 2021). Since the effectiveness of hand hygiene guidelines depends on professional and organizational determinants like the levels of awareness and caregivers’ knowledge of moments of
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