Clean hands, Save lives
Easiest way to reduce hospital-acquired infections
We all know that the best place to go when you become sick is the hospital. But it is also possible for people to become more ill while staying in hospital. Infections which patients catch while in the hospitals are called nosocomial infections, and they are a major public health risk. In the US alone, where medicine is highly advanced and infection-control practices are in place, an estimated 100,000 people die each year due to nosocomial infections.
The tragic thing about this situation is that many nosocomial infections can be prevented by a simple procedure — hand washing. Dirty hands of doctors and nurses are one of the main causes of nosocomial infection. To prevent infection, health care workers should wash their hands before and after touching their patients, after using the bathroom, and after meals. The problem in Bangladesh is — there are very few sinks on hospital wards and a very low supply of soap. It is inconvenient to walk across the ward after seeing each patient. As a result, doctors' and nurses' hands remain dirty and may spread diseases.
A simple solution to this problem comes in the form of alcohol-based hand sanitisers. These sanitisers have been described in numerous academic studies and by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as being equally or more effective at killing germs than traditional hand soaps. The CDC report also states that "in contrast to sinks used for handwashing or antiseptic handwash, dispensers for alcohol-based hand rubs do not require plumbing and can be made available adjacent to each patient's bed and at many other locations throughout patient care areas."
In order to be most effective, bottles of hand sanitiser should be placed next to each patient's bed, at the entrance to each hospital ward, and in each examination room. Also, health care workers can carry around small bottles in their pockets, so that they may sanitise their hands at any time. Hexisol is a very common hand sanitiser available in Bangladesh, but it may become uncomfortable on the skin after repeated use. Other hand sanitisers come in gel and foam form. All forms are fairly cheap in price.
There is absolutely no excuse that so many people die each year across the world of nosocomial infections which is easily-preventable. If doctors, nurses, health administrators and patients ---all work together, many thousands of lives could be saved in Bangladesh.
The writer is a medical student of Virginia Commonwealth School of Medicine, USA.
E-mail: rhubbard2323@yahoo.com
E-mail: rhubbard2323@yahoo.com
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