The Importance of Hand Hygiene

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Running head: IMPORTANCE HAND HYGIENE
The Importance of Hand Hygiene
Your Name
Name of School
Name of the Course
Your Instructor’s Name
Date
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The Importance of Hand Hygiene
Our hands are one of the most common pathways for germ transmission. According to
Nelson & Williams (2014), our hands can be contaminated with pathogens after coming into
contact with bodily fluids, foods, liquids, and human or animal feces. Moreover, Nelson &
Williams (2014) states that we can easily transmit these pathogens to other people through direct
or indirect contact without even knowing it. Because of this, it’s always important to have clean
hands. Hand hygiene is one of the most important precautionary measures for disease prevention.
With the spread of the Corona Virus, having clean hands is one of the many things we should do
to prevent catching or spreading the disease.
It’s easy to tell people to wash their hands, but not many know how to do it properly.
With this, it’s important to establish a hand hygiene program to help those in need, particularly
those in healthcare facilities. As assistant CEO of this institution, proper hand hygiene is of
utmost importance. Because of this, I’d like to propose 3 measures that will help will help
improve hand hygiene practices among our staff and minimize outbreaks in your facility. The
following are as follows:
1. Provide antimicrobial soap, rubbing alcohol, alcohol-based sanitizers, and disinfectants in
all major locations within the facility (i.e. lobbies, restrooms, etc.).
One measure that will help improve hand hygiene practices among our staff would be to
provide free antimicrobial soaps, rubbing alcohol, and sanitizers. This is something very much
needed nowadays, especially because stocks are running out due to the recent pandemic.
According to Nelson & Williams (2014), a significant decrease in many common infections can
be observed by washing our hands with soap. By providing free soap and alcohol-based
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disinfectants, we can help prevent the spread of disease and encourage cleanliness within the
facility. Moreover, Boyce & Pittet (2002) notes that using alcohol-based hand rubs can help
reduce the exposure of personnel to irritating soaps and detergents. By providing rubbing alcohol
and sanitizers, we will not only protect our employees from bacteria, but we would be taking
care of their hands as well.
2. Provide guides on proper hand washing procedures around the facility. These guides will
include step by step pictures and will also be printed in big, bold fonts. They will be
posted in all bathrooms, particularly in front of sinks. Posters on when and why people
should wash their hands will also be posted along hallways.
Understanding why we need to wash our hands is an important step in preventing the spread
of disease and in encouraging proper hand hygiene. According to Boyce & Pittet (2002), a lack
of role models for hand hygiene, a lack of active participation in hand-hygiene promotion at an
individual or institutional level, and a lack of institutional priority are key barriers to observing
proper hand hygiene. Because of this, it’s important to encourage and teach our employees to
properly wash their hands. Not everyone knows the proper way of washing our hands, which is
why it’s important to teach our employees to do so. They should be able to understand why they
need to do this and what the consequences are if they won’t.
3. Observe hospital-wide surveillance of proper hand hygiene.
Infection control professionals are needed in controlling the spread of disease and responding
to the needs of everyone in the facility. According to Siegel et al. (2019), the presence of
infection control professionals has a positive effect on preventing the spread of disease and in
lowering infection rates. Everyone will feel more inclined to practice proper hand hygiene if they
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know they’re being monitored or if sanctions will be implemented to those who are caught not
observing proper hand hygiene.

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Works Cited
Boyce, J. M., & Pittet, D. (2002). Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings
Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee
and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Nelson, K. E., & Williams, C. M. (2014). Infectious Disease Epidemiology Theory and Practice.
Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Siegel, J. D., Rhinehart, E., Jackson, M., & Chiarello, L. (2019). 2007 Guideline for Isolation
Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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1

Running head: IMPORTANCE HAND HYGIENE

The Importance of Hand Hygiene

Name of the Course

Your Instructor’s Name

The Importance of Hand Hygiene

to prevent catching or spreading the disease.

following are as follows:

1. Provide antimicrobial soap, rubbing alcohol, alcohol-based sanitizers, and disinfectants in

care of their hands as well.

should wash their hands will also be posted along hallways.

need to do this and what the consequences are if they won’t.

3. Observe hospital-wide surveillance of proper hand hygiene.

observing proper hand hygiene.

Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee

Control and Prevention.

Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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