5 Steps To Better Infection Control
It is everyone’s responsibility to learn and practise infection control. According to WHO1:
Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a scientific approach and practical solution designed to prevent harm caused by infection to patients and health workers. It is grounded in infectious diseases, epidemiology, social science and health system strengthening. IPC occupies a unique position in the field of patient safety and quality universal health coverage since it is relevant to health workers and patients at every single healthcare encounter.
No country, no healthcare facility, even within the most advanced and sophisticated healthcare systems, can claim to be free of the problem of healthcare-associated infections.
With this in mind, here’s how we can help you with these 5 Steps to Better Infection Control:
- Choose products designed for infection control.
Nowadays, many know that mattresses are a breeding ground for bacteria. This is a good place to start your infection control.
Check your mattress’s health (is it torn or worn)?
When it comes to choosing a mattress, select ProCair Plus or others that are seal based with a welded seam to minimise bacteria harbouring at the joints and waterfall skirt to provide protection from moisture ingress.
- Disinfect correctly
Commodes are another haven for germs. That’s why to assemble your army against infection, use commodes made with hard-wearing plastics that can be cleaned in high temperatures, and strong PH disinfectant is a must.
A commode that has fewer parts and fewer joints will not only give you fewer hassles while cleaning; it will also have fewer hard-to-clean gaps for germs to accumulate. - Practise infection control habits at work.
Besides practising the 5 Moments routine2, consider using disposable equipment such as a disposable sling to minimise body-to-body contact.
Wondering what kind of slings to use in your facility and if disposable slings are available for your sling?
- Help your patients set up to recover at home.
Does your patient/user understand what kind of adaptive and care equipment is for rental to help establish their home-care to reduce the chance of infection?
Instead of a makeshift stool to use in their shower, do they know they can get a safe shower stool or commode chair on weekly / monthly rental?
You can find out more about options to support home recovery here. - Educate your clients to use good infection control techniques.
You handle your patients with minimal infection risk, but what about when they are sent home? Are they well aware of how to clean and disinfect? Washing hands for 20 seconds (which is about singing Happy Birthday twice) is easy to do, but many of us do not appreciate how much this can reduce infection control. Help them to learn more simple tips for Infection Control.