Each year, many lives are unfortunately lost because of a lack of steps taken to ensure infection control. Health care facilities must do everything to stop the spread of infectious diseases. Infection control must be treated as a very high priority in all healthcare facilities and establishments. Medical acquired infections tend to be amongst the most common complication of health care. Patients who are inside the medical facilities receiving healthcare are prone to infections. This tends to be the case especially when they have undergone an invasive surgical procedure. An established and well meaning healthcare facility must take all necessary measures to minimize the risks of infection for residents, visitors and all other staff. Healthcare facilities must provide infection control education to healthcare workers as well as patients. They must also implement all procedures and policies that are in line with the current evidence based practices being used in all facilities.
Many people tend to have the misconception that meager steps like gloves or antiseptics are adequate measures to ensure infection control. While gloves can act as barrier during contact with an infection, they are not, on their own, enough to stop the spread of organisms that lead to infections.
Bacteria and germs that lead to illnesses tend to be invisible to the naked eye. Be it in your workplace, educational facility, leisure environment or any medical facility germs are transferred from person to person. They are spread primarily by coming into contact with surfaces.
In addition, healthcare workers and even visitors are left to the possibility of infection exposure if proper preventative steps are not taken. A clean and safe environment is important in order to minimise any chances of infection transmission.
These also times where proper infection prevention standards are difficult to be met. For instance, in case where a patient has to be isolated within a hospital because of suspected or known communicable infection may not always be done in the safest way because of unavailability of a single room. However, it is important that all possible control and preventative measures are met in situations like this. If cross infection has occurred, it must be reported immediately and acted on right away to make the healthcare environment safe for all people involved – be it patients or healthcare workers.
Infection control is imminent in any enclosed environment whereby people are in close proximity with each other. These are the places where people are at the highest risk of contracting an infection. Lack of infection control will lead to more ill people and can hence lead to lesser employee efficiency, lost productivity, disruption costs and a lower morale.
In light of this, it is important to educate all medical personnel about infection control. This can involve anyone working in medical care settings, residential housing, NHS – dental and medical, or anyone who works in a regulated environment frequented by the general public. It is essential that all preventative measures are taken to reduce the risk of infection spreading from one person to another.
Related course: Infection Control