Introduction

Infection prevention is crucial in all healthcare settings. It is every healthcare team to make sure patients are safe and free from infection.  As Nurses, you are the patient’s last line of defense. In his article Salem (2019) states that “Nosocomial infection, also known as the hospital-acquired infection is one of the leading causes of death and much economic cost dues to increase in hospitalization and prognosis”. The infection Salem was referring to is not the infection people brought home but otherwise, they get the infection in the hospital, and this can be contributed by many factors such as staff not using infection prevention measures correctly.  There are many different ways we can use to protect patients from getting infected by any infection and some of these methods are washing hands before and after delivering care, personal proactive equipment, environment cleaning such as cleaning rooms and isolation and barrier nursing, the use of vaccines to prevent infections became more widespread, the use new technologies and approaches to infection prevention, such as electronic hand washing monitors, are being developed and implemented.

Methods

• Handwashing: In order to stop the transmission of disease, washing one’s hands frequently is crucial. Before and after caring for a patient, after removing gloves, and whenever they come into touch with potentially infectious materials like blood or bodily fluids, medical staff members should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water. According to Salem (2019) “Hand hygiene is widely acknowledged to be the most important activity that reduces the spread of infection”.
• Personal Protective Equipment: Healthcare personnel can be shielded from exposure to pathogens by donning personal protective equipment (PPE). Examples of personal protective equipment are gloves, gowns, masks, and goggles.
• Isolation Precautions: Patients who are confirmed or suspected to have a communicable disease may be placed in isolation as a safety measure. Private rooms, negative pressure rooms, and contact precautions are all part of the isolation protocol.
• Environmental Cleaning: Environmental cleaning is essential for preventing the spread of infection. Healthcare facilities should be cleaned regularly, and contaminated surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected using an EPA-registered disinfectant.
• Vaccinations: Vaccinations help to protect healthcare workers from diseases that can be spread through contact with infected patients. Healthcare workers should be vaccinated against influenza, hepatitis B, and other diseases that are common in healthcare settings.

Result

• Fewer patients died from infections: Thanks to infection prevention methods, patients were less likely to die from infections.
• The number of patients getting infections decreased: By preventing the spread of infection, the number of patients who got infections decreased.
• The spread of infections was controlled better: better infection prevention methods meant that the spread of infections was better controlled.
• New strains of resistant bacteria emerged: As antibiotics were used more frequently, new strains of resistant bacteria emerged.
• The cost of healthcare increased: The use of infection prevention methods, such as sterile techniques and vaccines, increased the cost of healthcare.

Discussion

• infections would be much more widespread if healthcare workers didn’t take precautions to prevent and control their spread. There would be a greater risk of infection being spread between patients and between healthcare workers if they didn’t regularly practice handwashing.
• Healthcare workers would be at risk of exposure to infectious agents without proper personal protective equipment. Patients with communicable diseases pose a risk to other patients if they are not isolated. Plus, hospitals and other healthcare facilities would be veritable hotbeds for disease without regular environmental cleaning.
• In addition, vaccinations play a crucial role in halting the spread of disease. Vaccinated healthcare workers are less likely to spread influenza and other diseases to patients.
• Put simply, healthcare facilities cannot afford to ignore the importance of infection prevention and control measures. The rate of hospital-acquired infections would be much higher if these precautions were not taken.

Application to future nurses

• As a future nurse, you can use the methods of infection prevention and control to keep your patients free from infection. Handwashing, personal protective equipment, isolation precautions, environmental cleaning, and vaccinations are all important infection control measures that can help to prevent the spread of infection.
• Wash your hands often and avoid germs as a future nurse. Caring for patients who are confirmed or suspected to have a communicable disease requires you to take extra precautions, including donning protective gear. The regular cleaning and disinfection of shared spaces is also crucial, as is vaccination against influenza and other contagious diseases that frequently appear in hospitals.  In his experience, Salem concluded that “The majority of the sample had good knowledge about infection control measures, but they showed the lack of practice in hand washing and using glove which are the most significant items to prevent transmission of infection. As future nurses, it is better to practice what you have been thought because those measures you were thought that’s what will keep the patient safe.