WGU C493 Leadership and Professional Image TS – Hand Hygiene 2020

A1. Problem or Issue The problem that I find very concerning in healthcare is the lack of hand hygiene and the offensive number of hospital acquired infections (HAI) that are linked to the low compliance of hand hygiene. As nurses we are looked upon as mentors to other staff in the hospital, and it is our duty to protect our patients by practicing good hand hygiene. The problem that I will try to solve or at the least improve is fixing the low rates of hand hygiene compliance. A1a. Explanation of Problem or Issue Hand hygiene is an important aspect of overall healthcare. Healthcareassociated infections cause issues for patients and hospital staff alike, as lack of hand hygiene protocol can cause issues regarding the overall patient care experience. Every year in the United States of America, approximately 1.7 million cases of Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) occur, 98,000 of these cases result in deaths. (Sickbert- Bennett, et al., 2016). As hospitals promote and regulate various hand hygiene policies, research on the different protocols has grown to keep costs and patient infections low. Multi-modal interventions are the most effective as they combine various hand washing techniques and regulations to create an effectual strategy for combating HAIs. Monitoring and implementing strategies to promote these handwashing protocols before, during, and after patient interactions are very importance to the depletion of healthcare-associated infections. The compliance of hospital staff with these hand hygiene strategies is critical for the decrease in these infections. A2. Investigation While doing some investigation, I watched not only the nurses, but also the CNA’s, housekeeping and dietary aids (any type of caregiver). I observed many interactions with the patients like when helping with toileting, passing trays, filling water pitchers, picking up surrounding, administering meds and applying appropriate PPE for isolation patients. After gathering information by observing the workers in action, I also asked them what qualifies as an appropriate time to wash hands and asked them if they thought they were complaint with the policy of hand washing. Unfortunately, I did observe many times of caregivers not doing proper hand hygiene. Due to this unsafe hand hygiene compliance the rate of HAI remains problematic A2a. Evidence