The main fear in socio-health centers, nursing homes or nursing homes are nosocomial infections. And although it is impossible to eradicate them, several studies show that hygiene helps reduce them considerably.
Next, we will review some basic points for hygiene in health centers or nursing homes.

Hygiene of health technical personnel
Bedridden Patient Hygiene
Treatments against odor pollution
Waste collection and treatment
Treatment of hospital clothes
Cleaning material for health centers
Chemicals for cleaning and disinfection

Hygiene of health technical personnel
Personnel in charge of patient care should pay special attention to the use of Personal Protective Equipment such as gloves. These should be replaced after the treatment of infectious patients or whenever it is suspected that they are contaminated.
Hand hygiene should also be a constant practice and will always be carried out with soap and water.

And to complete hand hygiene, you can not miss the Hand Medic cream, a skin conditioner that in addition to repairing wear after multiple washes, acts as a protector against external agents.

Bedridden Patient Hygiene

While it is true that bedridden adult hygiene has evolved a lot in recent decades, it is still a critical point in nursing homes or socio-health centers.
It will be the degree of autonomy of each patient that will determine if hygiene is carried out by geriatric shower or if the patient is washed directly in bed.
For this last option there are innovative solutions such as soapy sponges, which make the task of the technical health personnel more comfortable and the experience of patients less unpleasant.
In addition, there are also impregnated wipes and specially designed for the hygiene of the bedridden adult that provide extra hydration after use.

Treatments against odor pollution
Odoriferous pollution is a fairly common problem in health centers and, although many think so, the solution to combat it is not the air fresheners.
Microdor is a deodorizer that, thanks to its active composition of natural enzymes, disintegrates bad odors, instead of masking them as air fresheners do.
Many times, the odoriferous contamination is caused by biological waste. Supersorb facilitates its collection, as it solidifies liquid and semi-liquid waste. In addition, being also based on enzymes, it ends up with the smelly particles and prevents them from dispersing in the environment.

Waste collection and treatment

The selection of waste in the health centers is especially important to avoid cross contamination problems.
For this, in addition to differentiating, as usual, between plastics, glass, paper and organic remains, we will have special bags to deposit non-specific sanitary waste.
These are the so-called GII bags, which have superior resistance and are specially approved for the collection of non-specific sanitary waste.
What can we discard in these bags? From material of priests such as gauze, dressings or strips, to gloves, diapers or soapers, among others.
In addition to having GII bags, it is advisable that the bins or containers used have a lid and pedal for a more hygienic use.

Treatment of hospital clothes
Clothing derived from the activity in the socio-health centers is also commonly known as hospital clothing and must be properly selected and handled to ensure that, after finishing the process, it returns clean to the starting point.

The manipulation of the robbery is a particularly delicate step, since the germs usually adhere to the tissue and it is at that moment when they shoot out.

Laundry carts of different colors help separate dirty clothes according to their type or risk. In addition, by containing a lid, they keep the clothes isolated until it reaches its destination.

In this infographic you can see the recommended color code for the selection of dirty clothes and what clothes each group includes.

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Recent studies indicate that electronic devices can play an important role in hand hygiene compliance. Venkatesh conducted a prospective, interventional study to evaluate the use of an electronic device to measure and impact hand hygiene practices and control transmission of VRE in a 30-bed academic medical center hematology unit. The researchers identified 8,235 measurable hand hygiene opportunities during the study, with compliance improvement from 36.3 percent at baseline to 70.1 percent during the second phase of the study. The use of audible alerts improved hand hygiene compliance for both the day shift and the night shift, as well as across rooms with higher HCW traffic and lower HCW traffic.

Swoboda  attempted to determine through a three-phase study whether electronic monitoring of hand hygiene and voice prompts could improve hand hygiene and decrease infection rates in a 14-bed, university hospital-based surgical intermediate care unit. Phase I was electronic monitoring and direct observation; phase II was electronic monitoring and computerized voice prompts for failure to perform hand hygiene on room exit; and phase III was electronic monitoring only. All patient rooms, utility room and staff lavatory were monitored electronically. Participants included all healthcare personnel including physicians, nurses, nursing support personnel, ancillary staff, all visitors and family members, and any other personnel interacting with patients on the unit. All patients with an intermediate care unit length of stay greater than 48 hours were followed for hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). Electronic monitoring was conducted during all phases, with computerized voice prompts during phase II only. The researchers evaluated a total of 283,488 electronically monitored entries into a patient room with 251,526 exits for 420 days (10,080 hours and 3,549 patient days). Compared with phase I, hand hygiene compliance in patient rooms improved 37 percent during phase II and 41 percent in phase III. When adjusting for patient admissions during each phase, point estimates of HAIs decreased by 22 percent during phase II and 48 percent during phase III; when adjusting for patient days, the number of infections decreased by 10 percent during phase II and 40 percent during phase III. Although the overall rate of HAIs significantly decreased when combining phases II and III, the association between HAIs and individual phase was not significant. The researchers concluded that electronic monitoring provided effective ongoing feedback about hand hygiene compliance.

Swoboda also hypothesized that both patient isolation and electronic hand hygiene prompts incrementally improve hand hygiene of HCWs compared with non-isolation rooms. They conducted a prospective, 14.5-month, three-phase electronic surveillance study of hand hygiene behavior on an intermediate care unit with nine patient rooms (three isolation rooms and six non-isolation rooms); phase I was electronic observation, phase II was electronic observation with automated voice messages urging hand hygiene, and phase III was electronic observation. Electronic sensors monitored room entries and exits and use of all sinks and all soap dispensers. Phase I (1,616 patient-days) HCWs were 49 percent more likely to wash their hands in isolation rooms versus non-isolation rooms; phase II (1,390 patient-days) and phase III (543 patient-days) healthcare workers were 59 percent more likely to wash their hands in isolation versus non-isolation rooms, P = .001. The researchers concluded that HCWs improve hand hygiene when constrained by isolation rooms, that electronic voice prompts further improve hand hygiene behavior, and that both physical and auditory reminders improve hand hygiene.

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Since then, World Handwashing Day aims to extend the best hygiene practices to the entire planet. The practice of washing your hands is common in most parts of the world, but soap is rarely used after critical moments (after using the toilet, cleaning a child’s stool or before handling food).

Handwashing with soap is one of the most effective and economical ways to prevent diarrheal and respiratory diseases, which are responsible for ensuring that every year more than 3 million children do not reach 5 years of life. Every 20 seconds, a child dies as a result of poor sanitation, that means 1.5 million deaths a year that could be prevented. According to WHO, washing hands with soap and water would reduce the risk of acute diarrheal diseases by 47 percent.

Incorporating the practice of handwashing with soap in every home in the world could save more lives than any medical intervention. Declaring October 15 as World Handwashing Day also has as another key objective to ensure access to sanitation and drinking water sources throughout the world.

A gesture as simple as washing your hands with soap and water can be key to the survival of millions of people, especially the little ones. Children are especially vulnerable to the effects of diarrhea and respiratory infections, diseases that can be easily and cheaply prevented with a little soap and water. This day wants to serve as a reminder of the importance of this practice.

Equitable access to hygiene facilities that allow us to wash our hands with soap helps us build a better future as we move towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Today we celebrate World Handwashing Day, but it is a call to practice it every day; We have a great challenge in converting an idea that is often abstract in an internalized and conscious behavior in homes, schools and communities around the world.

Aspects we should all know about hand washing

Washing your hands only with water is not enough, it is a widespread practice worldwide, but it is much less effective than doing so using soap. The soap favors rubbing, gives off a smell and produces a pleasant sensation that encourages its use.

Different medical studies have confirmed that washing your hands with soap is an effective way to prevent disease transmission even in impoverished settlements with high levels of pollution. Skin or eye infections, intestinal parasites, different types of flu and even a health improvement for people with HIV / AIDS are possible with proper hand washing.

There are critical times of the day when it is mandatory to wash your hands with soap: after using the bathroom, when coming into contact with feces or before handling food. The hands are the main carriers of germs that cause disease.

Washing your hands is the most effective and cheap health or hygiene intervention in the world.

A final key aspect of World Handwashing Day is to turn children into “handwash ambassadors” nationwide in all countries. Involving children in these activities can be a real factor of change to absolutely establish this practice worldwide.

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There are many aspects and measures for the prevention of infections, including hand hygiene. It is a simple measure, very effective and available to everyone, cheap and with a very important impact on the quality of care.
When we talk about hand hygiene we mean hand washing with soap and water and / or alcohol-gel solutions.

According to the WHO “the prevention of infections is a fundamental part of strengthening health systems. Hand hygiene is the basis of all interventions, either by inserting an invasive medical device, manipulating a surgical wound, or by performing an injection. ”

For WHO, it is one of the universal measures, such as quality control.

It is important to know that, although it is a measure that must be reinforced when an infectious outbreak is experienced in health institutions, hand hygiene should be a daily practice.
The MSP especially recommends that healthcare centers promote hand hygiene programs with monitoring and adherence audits. The five steps of the handwash proposed by WHO should be the guide to ensure proper and effective practice.

Because of the importance of this topic, we share readings selected by the SMU Virtual Health Library on Hand Hygiene.

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With this action, which does not take more than a minute, intrahospital infections can be reduced by up to 50%, the spread of existing bacteria in the environment is prevented and the early recovery of hospitalized patients and people with Acute Respiratory Infections is contributed (GO TO).

As explained by the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of Infectious Diseases of the Central Military Hospital, washing your hands at the right time can save lives. This is confirmed by the World Health Organization -OMS-, which ensures in recent years, this measure in health care has saved the lives of millions of people.

Through the Hand Hygiene Program of the Epidemiology Service of the Central Military Hospital, in the course of 2019 it has been possible to impact more than 1,500 people during the awareness sessions on handwashing. The first was from March 26 to April 9 and the second was held on May 2 and 3.

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Hygiene in surgical care SAVES LIVES: wash your hands. Improving hand hygiene practices in surgical services is a priority.

After 10 years of the WHO program “Clean care is safer care”, these are the 10 reasons why you should participate in the campaign:

Hand hygiene at the right time saves lives.

Hand hygiene in health care has saved millions of lives in recent years.

Hand hygiene is a quality indicator that highlights the safety of health systems.

Health problems, such as infections associated with health care (IAAS), which are often invisible but nevertheless occur, are political and social challenges that we must address.

Infections can be avoided by good hand hygiene, and damage to the health of patients and health care personnel can be prevented for less than $ 10.

There is low cost technology to save lives! The alcohol-based disinfectant solution, which costs approximately $ 3 per bottle, can prevent IAAS and millions of deaths each year.

There is #handhygiene in social media, which means that it is an important issue, either due to IAAS or outbreaks due to deadly diseases such as Ebola.

Incorporating the specific moments for the action of hand hygiene in the workflow of health workers makes it easy to do the right thing every minute, every hour, every day.

Infection prevention is a fundamental part of strengthening health systems. Hand hygiene is the basis of all interventions, either when inserting an invasive medical device, manipulating a surgical wound, or when performing an injection.

The social epidemic has already begun to be transmitted with “Save lives: clean your hands”, a successful campaign that promotes the action of hand washing at the point of patient care.

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World Handwashing Day is a call to raise public awareness that some soap and water can save many lives. This day is celebrated for the first time this October 15 in 70 countries of the five containers. It is the first time in history that a worldwide campaign asks millions of people to wash their hands with soap and water.

“The main message we want to convey is the importance of hand washing, but not just any quick rinse: it is important to wash your hands correctly with soap and water at key times of the day. These key moments are: before cooking or preparing food, before eating and after using the bathroom or cleaning a baby, “says Therese Dooley of the UNICEF Sanitation and Hygiene Program.

Handwashing with soap and water is one of the most effective and cheap ways to prevent diarrheal diseases and acute respiratory infections. These diseases cause the death of 3.5 million children every year and affect the health of millions more, both in developing and industrialized countries. Access to soap is not always easy in many places in the world. In countries like Ethiopia, many people use ashes or sand for personal hygiene, because they can’t get soap.

UNICEF supports several campaigns to promote proper hand washing, within its Water, Sanitation and hygiene programs worldwide. The United Nations General Assembly declared 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation. World Handwashing Day reinforces this movement in favor of an improvement in sanitation and hygiene practices, especially for children, who are agents of change.

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