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ICNA News |
Reducing the Risk of Infection in Hospital: What You Can Do To Help.
The recent publicity about hospital-acquired infection has caused a great deal of concern across the country. Members of the public have contacted the ICNA, to ask what they can do to reduce their risk of acquiring an infection while they are hospital in-patients, or while they are visiting friends and relatives in hospital.
In response to these requests, the following advice is provided for hospital patients and their visitors:
Keeping your hands and body clean are important when you are in hospital. Take personal toiletries including soap and a clean flannel with you.
Taking a container of moist hand-wipes with you will ensure you always have some available when you need to clean your hands.
Gentlemen should take their own razor with them so they can shave, rather than rely on the ward providing a razor that may be shared.
Ensure you always wash your hands after using the toilet.
If you use a commode ask for a bowl of water to wash your hands, or use a moist hand-wipe afterwards. Many hospitals now routinely offer a hand-wipe after someone has used the commode, but do not be afraid to ask if the nurse does not offer.
Always wash your hands or clean them with a hand-wipe immediately before you eat a meal.Many hospitals provide a moist hand-wipe on the meal-tray, but often people use it after they have eaten. Use it at the start of the meal to ensure your hands are clean before you eat.
Hospital staff can help protect you by washing their hands, or by cleaning them with special alcohol rubs or gels. If a member of staff needs to examine you or perform a procedure, do not be afraid to ask if they have first washed their hands or used an alcohol rub or gel.
Try to keep the top of your locker & bed-table reasonably free from clutter. Too many things left on top make it more difficult for the cleaning staff to clean your locker and bed-table properly.
If you visit the bathroom or toilet, and you are concerned that it does not look clean, report this immediately to the nurse in charge of the ward. Request it is cleaned before you use it, and use an alternative (if available) in the meantime.
Your bed-area should be cleaned regularly. If you or your visitors see something that has been missed during cleaning, report it to the nurse in charge and request it is cleaned.
Always wear something on your feet when walking around in hospital. A comfortable pair of slippers is fine, but make sure they have some grip on the bottom, as hospital floors can be a little slippery sometimes.
This information can be downloaded from the 'free to download' page on this site - click 'links/downloads' then 'free downloads' and scroll down to find the information. |
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 Oxoid Infection Control Team of the Year Awards 2006/2007 Winners AnnouncedOxoid, a world leader in microbiology, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2006/2007 Oxoid Infection Control Team of the Year Awards:
1st Prize: Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
2nd Prize: Cho Ray Hospital, Vietnam
Joint 3rd Prize: Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.
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The judges were unanimous in their decision to award t... More
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