Infection is one of the biggest problems that is present in healthcare facilities and hospitals. Infections can spread and affect many people if the right steps are not taken. Here is how healthcare companies can do the right thing and reduce their levels of infection.
Basic Hygiene
Sometimes, it’s the simple things that matter most when it comes to preventing infections. For a start, employees who work in direct contact with patients need to wash their hands. This has to be done before and after each patient is seen. Studies have shown that by employees simply keeping their hands clean, infection levels can be cut dramatically. For such a small thing, this has a pretty huge impact. Liquid soap is what tends to be used to keep hands clean throughout the working day. Visitors to the hospital or healthcare facility are also encouraged to do the same so that they don’t bring infections in. Signs prompt visitors to do this.
Environmental Cleaning
It’s not just important for people in the building to keep themselves clean though. It’s also very important for the environment itself to be kept as clean as it possibly can be. The floors, bed, desks, chairs and anything else in the area need to be clean and free of bacteria. Bacteria can get pretty much anywhere in a medical facility, so this is a big task that should be taken seriously. Cleaning surface is something that takes specialist training in order for it to be done properly. That’s why it’s so important for hospital staff to get the required level of training before starting work. If they don’t get this, the workplace won’t be safe and clean.
Using the Right Products
There are certain products that are used by healthcare companies that make infection less likely. Using clean and high-quality intravenous lines are very important. These are inserted into the body, so there’s always a chance of infection if the best products are not used or not used safely. On other items that come into contact with the body, polytetrafluoroethylene coating is used. This coating is important because it stops infection from entering the body. It literally blocks the dangerous bacteria, making it essential in any hospital or healthcare company. As long as these products are also sterile and used properly, the risk of infection should be mitigated.
Antibiotics Control
Antibiotics are a type of drug that is used to kill the bacteria that lead to infections in patients. Therefore, they are often responsible for saving many people’s lives. The problem is, some types of infection are resistant to our current level of antibiotics. And the more antibiotics get used, the higher the chance of the bacteria building up resistance are. So, antibiotics need to be used very careful and sparingly. If they are used when they are not really needed, the bacteria and the infection will only be made stronger. That’s not what anyone in the medical industry wants to happen because it would cost lives.
