World Day for hand hygiene: the network of health and social services in the Capitale-Nationale mobilizes

QUEBEC CITY, May 5, 2014 / CNW Telbec / – The Agency for Health and Social Services of the National Capital and the institutions of the network of health and social services in the Capitale-Nationale unite their efforts to raise awareness nursing staff, patients and visitors to the institutions that issue is hand hygiene.

Although there is a tendency to trivialize this simple act of washing hands, it has huge impacts on the health of the population, especially in health care. It is, first and foremost, the most important and effective way to prevent the transmission of infections. Note that nosocomial infections, that is to say, infections acquired in health care settings or during a treatment, affecting 5-10% of people hospitalized in Quebec. Faced with this situation, the actors of the network of health and social services are just about to increase awareness among various audiences concerned. This is about the staff, but also of all those who visit health facilities, such as relatives of patients. Hand hygiene is therefore important both for them and for the patient to visit, more vulnerable by his health.

All are concerned …

Initially, hand hygiene was a means of prevention aimed primarily caregivers. But with studies and observations in recent years, these are all people around the sick person who is affected by this practice. Whether a visitor, relative or the patient himself. The staff of the network, it must make the same commitment and responsibility. It is the safety of the patient to be treated by a person who takes care of the hygiene of his hands.

To better understand the times preferred to wash their hands, the Canadian campaign on hand hygiene talks about 4 key moments associated with the care, namely:

1. Before touching a patient
2. Before asking a aseptic procedure
3. After exposure to a risk of a biological fluid
4. After touching a patient or his environment

Obvious reasons

“More Clean Care is Safer Care,” says the World Health Organization (WHO), in order to properly sear the relationship between hand hygiene of health care and patient safety. Hand hygiene is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce healthcare associated infections and their transmission. Many forget, and the campaign is to reverse the trend and encourage caregivers to improve the health of its hands. “Since the correct behavior should be part of good practice, it is imperative to raise awareness, and to explain to the staff why it is so important to wash your hands, and what impact it has on the patient. We must create the habit and make hand hygiene a must as well as automation to his belt as soon as you take the wheel of his car as said Ms. Raymonde Lambert , Clinical Nurse, Program Manager prevention and control of infections at the University Institute in Mental Health of Quebec. The strategy inspired by the WHO aims to improve practices in all care settings, be it in the front line, specialized care, subspecialists in accommodation or at home, on the nursing staff. No institution exception. Thus, hospitals, residential and long-term care, rehabilitation and mental health are concerned.

This awareness day is essential to make care safer when it comes to the risk of contamination. “This is a simple measure which, if applied collectively, will have significant impacts on the health of patients. We would first and foremost a commitment awareness of nursing staff to improve the quality of patient care and, at the same time, the reduction of nosocomial infections and the transmission of viruses and bacteria present in the environment care. The public should also be aware of the importance of this measure and to wash their hands when visiting a patient, for example, “concluded Dr. Jasmin Villeneuve , a physician at the Regional Directorate of Public Health, National Capital.Note that during the announcement, the media were invited to meet with various stakeholders of the network of health and social services of the Capitale-Nationale in raising awareness of good practice, with concrete of these demonstrations.

source: http://www.fil-information.gouv.qc.ca/