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Hygiene is of utmost importance in the healthcare sector. Whether in a hospital, medical centre, dental clinic, or another facility, minimising the risks of transmitting disease-causing microorganisms is critical.
What is Hygiene?
“Hygiene” refers to practices and protocols implemented to prevent infection and disease. Broadly, it includes everything from personal hygiene (hand washing, showering, teeth cleaning, etc) to water sanitation and food hygiene.
In a healthcare setting, appropriate hygiene improves the likelihood of desired health outcomes, and it protects both patients and workers from preventable harm due to disease. This includes the prevention of cross-contamination between patients or between patients and staff, as well as clinical- or hospital-acquired infections, hospital-acquired complications, and unintended readmissions to hospitals.
The Importance of Hygiene…
Hygienic practices exist to prevent disease and their importance in a healthcare setting can’t be overestimated. One example that illustrates the importance of this in a healthcare setting is that of healthcare-associated infections. These are among the most common clinically-acquired complications and they can prolong a patient’s time in the hospital and may even result in death. Particularly, Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection (SABSI) or “Golden Staph” is a common in-hospital complication and it can be extremely difficult to treat (especially MRSA, which is resistant to antibiotics). So too is Clostridium difficile, a common type of bowel bacteria that causes infection in many hospital patients.
MRSA and other pathogens spread far too easily in hospitals and have been found on everything from soap dispensers to door handles and even staff compute keyboards. This illustrates the importance of hygiene throughout the entire clinical and adjacent environments.
Types of Hygiene in the Healthcare Setting
Hospitals and other clinical settings are governed by Standard Precautions, which are the minimum infection prevention procedures required. They apply to the care of all patients, in any setting where care is provided, whether they are suspected, confirmed, or cleared of being an infection risk. Standard Precautions are implemented to protect patients and healthcare providers by helping to prevent the spread of infection.
There are different types of hygiene considered in a healthcare setting:
· Hand Hygiene is a first line of defence to reduce the transmission of viruses, bacteria, and other harmful microorganisms in any setting – both clinical and in everyday life. Treatment rooms should all have basins with clean running water, disinfecting liquid soap, single-use hand towels, and alcohol-based hand sanitisation stations that should be readily accessible throughout the facility.
· Personal Protective Equipment or PPE is another method of maximising hygiene used in clinical settings. It includes (as appropriate) gloves, face masks or shields, protective eyewear, surgical downs, hair caps and booties for operating theatres, and more.
· Respiratory Hygiene or cough etiquette has never been more important than it is in the era of COVID-19. As well as wearing masks (currently still required of all persons working in or visiting a hospital and many other clinical settings) it includes covering the mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, disposing of tissues after a single use, and maximising hand hygiene.
· Sharps Injury Prevention means safe sharps handling and performance of injections and incisions. This is crucial to prevent disease transmission for bloodborne infections including Hepatitis B & C and HIV, among many others.
· Aseptic Technique aims to minimise contamination and protect patients and healthcare staff from infection during medical and surgical procedures. As well as using sterile, single-use instruments and equipment, aseptic (sterile, germ-free) treatment fields must be maintained for all invasive or potentially invasive procedures (including wound care).
· Cleaning/Disinfection of the physical environment is also imperative. This includes cleaning and disinfecting all frequently touched surfaces and reusable patient care equipment. Some of these will also require sterilisation. Sterilisation eliminates or inactivates all living microorganisms on equipment for the prevention of contamination by bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms between people via blood, body fluids, and other contact methods. Specific equipment is required; this includes ultrasonic cleaners, autoclaves and autoclave bags, and other sterilisation supplies.
· Waste Disposal includes the appropriate and safe disposal and management of contaminated clinical waste – biological waste, sharps, and more.
Conclusion
Good hygiene in hospitals, clinics, surgeries, and other healthcare settings plays a vital role in maintaining public health for individuals and the community. Maintaining cleanliness, using appropriate sterilisation practices, and taking personal responsibility for hand hygiene and more is the best way to keep well.
