Article International Journal Infectious †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Article Summary International Journal Of Infectious Disease? Answer: Introducation The summary is derived from an article published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases of 2013, by Ahmed Mahfouz, Mohammad Gamal and Taril Al-Azraqi. The main focus of the article is on the research they undertook to gauge the compliance or its lack thereof regarding hand hygiene compliance amongst healthcare workers. This particular study focused on healthcare workers working in intensive care units at the Aseer Central Hospital located in the southern region of Saudi Arabia. The article is presented in two parts: the first covers the methodology and findings and is followed by the discussion of the results. Methodology The sample size used was a total of 500 observations that used four ICUs: main ICU with 12 beds, intermediate care unit (IMCU with 32 beds), pediatric unit (PICU with 7 beds) and the cardiac unit (CCU with 15 beds). The observations made focused on the WHO recommended method of observation. These include the moment before making contact with the patient, before a procedure that is aseptic, after risk of exposure to bodily fluids, after touching a patient and after touching the surrounding of the patient (Mahfouz, Gamal Al-Azraqi, 2013). The observations were recorded by infection control nurses who had earlier been trained. It covered 179 nurses, 34 physicians and 23 assorted health care workers who worked in the above units. Findings The main outcome that was measured was the non-compliance of washing hands by the healthcare workers at different moments. The data was measured and analyzed using different statistical tools in order to validate the collected observations. The total overall percentage of non-compliance stood at 41%. Non-compliance was highest amongst physicians when compared to nurses and other healthcare workers. This was high after contact with patients and their surroundings (Mahfouz, Gamal Al-Azraqi, 2013). The lack of compliance increased from 16.9% after caring for the patient, to 59.3% before contact with patient. It was highest at 72.7% before a procedure that aseptic. Discussion The overall rate of non-compliance stood at 41% in all ICSs. The discussion focused on the linkage between the non-compliance in hand washing and healthcare associated infections. These infections significantly contribute to increased costs and time spent in hospitals. It also increases the hospital mortality and morbidity rates (Mahfouz, Gamal Al-Azraqi, 2013). The high percentage of non-compliance at the hospital was attributed to the high turn-over experienced and this was supported by the findings of a similar report published in 2007.Simialr studies done at the University Hospital in Riyadh revealed a much higher rate which stood at 58%. The results of the study validated the global findings that showed non-compliance stood at 60-70%. The specific findings show that compliance to wash hands was high when the healthcare workers observed that their hands were sticky or dirty. The sites with the highest risk were found to be those next to the patient such as lockers. Doctors were found to be lower in compliance and generally considered as difficult by resisting imposed standardized rules and practices (Mahfouz, Gamal Al-Azraqi, 2013). The impact of religion also contributed to the low compliance with regards to alcohol-based hand disinfectants. There is however an increased awareness and use of such alcohol based cleansers. The authors concluded by recommending that there should be increased education that promotes the culture of hand washing amongst healthcare workers. References Mahfouz, A., Gamal, M., Al-Azraqi, T. (2013). Hand hygiene non-compliance among intensive care unit Healthcare workers in Aseer Central Hospital, South-Western Saudi Arabia, International Journal of Infectious Disease. Retrieved from https://www.elsevier.com/locate/ijid