Posts

Are your staff increasing risk of cross infection?

Cardigans – a potential vector of infection?

Each winter cardigans or long sleeved tops under uniform tunics appear as part of clothing worn by carers, nurses and other staff providing resident care.  Does this practice increase the risk of cross infection?

There are certainly studies that demonstrate that uniforms become contaminated with potential pathogenic organisms including Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium difficile and Norovirus[1]. It is more difficult to find evidence that links contaminated uniforms with the transmission of pathogens to patients and residents.

Most contamination occurs in areas of greatest hand contact such as pockets and cuffs[2], which may the cause the wearer to re-contaminate their cleaned hands. Long sleeves may also become contaminated with bodily fluids, which then directly contaminate another resident through direct hands on care. This would be a great way to spread around those multi-drug resistant organisms that live in the bowel, such as ESBL, VRE and CRE!

The biggest risk of wearing long sleeves when delivering care involving patient contact is that hand hygiene cannot be carried out effectively. Anyone who has been taught hand washing using the Glitterbug gel and UV light will remember how the wrists were often left glowing, demonstrating that your wrists also get contaminated and need cleaning. In many healthcare facilities across the world, a ‘Bare Below the Elbows’ policy is used to ensure that effective hand hygiene is undertaken. This applies to the use of an alcohol based hand rub or gel, as well as washing with soap and water.

So the next time that you put your cardigan on or come to work with a long-sleeved top, remember that, prior to any patient contact remove the cardigan or roll up your sleeves and perform hand hygiene.

[1] Mitchell et al. Role of healthcare apparel and other healthcare textiles in the transmission of pathogens: a review of the literature. Journal of Hospital Infection, 2015 Aug;90(4):285-92

[2]Loh et al. Bacterial flora on the white coats of medical students. Journal of Hospital Infection,  2000 May;45(1):65-8.

Contributed by:

Ruth Barratt

Infection Prevention & Control Advisor

infectprevent@gmail.com

/by

Person-centered Care depends on your recruitment processes

On a recent trip to Cambodia and Singapore I visited the older members of the community where they were being cared for and spend their final days.  In Cambodia, where there are no formal aged care services; I found the older members of their communities being care for by each other in either family or Buddhist temple settings.  The choice is often made by the oldest members of families in Cambodian society to leave home and move into a temple and take on the lifestyle of a Buddhist Monk or Nun.

I was honoured to have had the opportunity to visit these folk and talk with them about their lives and experiences. I asked them if they missed anything about their previous life.  The answer when I’ve asked that same question of elder folk in New Zealand has resulted in a long list. These gentle folk smiled broadly at me and told me no, there was not a single thing they missed. Their families still came to visit them. It seemed that was all they needed from life as it was!

In caring for each other these ladies practiced the principles of person-centered care. They were not familiar with the term, were not trained nurses and were not carers who had received formal training. Never the less, they provided care as needed by those receiving it. This was about social housing and accommodation rather than a focus on infirmity, disability or ill health.

On my visit to a nursing home in Singapore, it was inspiring to see the elder ladies sewing staff uniforms and other elder men and women preparing vegetables. These would become meals of the children crèche down the road. These folk talked as they worked together. They were connecting and contributing. Making a difference. They were needed and had value.  They held a high status within their community.

In the Singapore Nursing home residents lived in the nursing home in 8 bed units, men segregated from the woman. The sense of connection between residents however was obvious from the numbers of people I saw sitting beside other residents’ beds talking with them, interacting together and chatting as they worked.

There were trained nurses and the Welfare Officer who was a fountain of knowledge talked about person-centered care. The residents’ activities programme was full and could have easily been transferable to any NZ residential care facility.

The terms used were the same as ours but as I looked around I could see the implementation of person-centered care was very different from our interpretation of that type of service. Residents were certainly engaged, appeared happy and well care for.

What struck me however was how different our understanding of the term ‘person centered care’ is and how a society’s culture or organisational policies can mean our practice is very different.

This is an important factor to remember when recruiting staff that have been trained and work in other countries. When you describe something to an applicant you’re recruiting and they say they understand the concept, does it necessarily mean you have the same understanding. The picture in your mind of what the outcome will look like may be very different to their mind-view?  Sometimes it pays to ask more questions!

/by

Tracey Dimmock-Rump – Owner / Manager

Amberley Resthome and Retirement Studios

“I was referred to Gillian Robinson (HSCL) through a colleague as I knew I needed expertise help when starting out in the aged care industry. Little did I know I would get the best!
Working alongside someone as passionate as Gillian is a privilege which reflects the level of commitment she makes to you as a client. From the phone calls and emails, to the training sessions, to the continuous improvement guidance and depth of knowledge that is implemented in our system. I can’t thank Gillian enough for her support and have no hesitation in recommending her services to anybody in the healthcare sector.

She knows this industry inside and out and has played a pivotal role in our success as an organisation”.

Tracey Dimmock-Rump – Owner / Manager

/by

Electronic records and computer use in residential care facilities

I remember years and years ago hearing about the coming of the paperless society!  Do you recall that?  Have we achieved it?  If anything, we’re surrounded by more and more paperwork.  I receive enquiries on a regular basis from disgruntled nurses that are bogged down in paperwork and wanting to know if there is a simpler way to do things that will allow them time to get back to hands-on nursing; spending time with their residents.

I’m more than happy to help you with freeing up your time and still achieve all the necessities of documenting service provision.  One way to do this is using smart computer software.  I realise that up until recently our industry has not been ready for this however with the surge in uses of Facebook and other social networking sites, computers are not as intimidating as they once were!

I’m committed to getting your nurses back on the floor while working on the basis of continuous improvement and providing excellence in care based on evidence based practice.  In order to help me develop the tools you need I’d appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete this quick and simple survey.

Complete the survey HERE

Thank you for your time and look forward to getting a solution that will allow you to get out of the office and back to your residents!

/by