Contribution of Non-Compliance with Hand Hygiene to Nosocomial Infections

Contribution of Non-Compliance with Hand Hygiene to Nosocomial Infections
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Contribution of Non-Compliance with Hand Hygiene to Nosocomial Infections
Background/Literature Review
The prevalence of nosocomial infections in the United States remains a public health issue of concern despite the numerous interventions. Researchers such as Fox et al. (2015) report that the nation faces up to 2.5 million HAIs yearly. Other estimates by Raffa et al. (2018) indicate that HAIs rates have remained as high as 12% in countries such as the U.S. and 20% among low-income nations. These prevalence rates demonstrate the severity of this problem in healthcare institutions and the urgency for addressing them. Their occurrence has remained consistent for the last decade because, in 2011, U.S. healthcare facilities reported that one out of every 25 patients admitted to acute care suffered from these infections (Haverstick et al., 2017). Magill et al. (2018) note that HAIs have become commonplace despite diverse interventions targeting them in facilities. Such statistics reveal the complexity of this public health issue.
The consequences of HAIs are far-reaching, with significant impacts on healthcare facilities and society. Reports by diverse studies, including the one by Chen et al. (2019), indicate that these infections within healthcare facilities aggravate the health status of already disease-burdened patients. Such aspects lead to worrying healthcare situations because the compromised health status of the patients leads to increased morbidity and mortality. Without appropriate interventions to address nosocomial diseases, resources within the facilities become stretched. For instance, the United States incurs a cost of up to $4.5 billion yearly due to these infections (Fox et a., 2015). Besides the financial strain, the demand for increased patient attention due to these illnesses increases the work-related burden among healthcare workers (Magill et al., 2018). Fox et al. (2015) indicate that successful solutions have a probability of preventing approximately 90,000 deaths annually. These figures demonstrate the impacts of HAIs on hospital-related resources and the workforce. They also reveal the effect a nation such as the U.S. would gain by integrating appropriate intervention strategies.
The persistence of HAIs arises from the fact that healthcare workers’ compliance with handwashing protocols has remained erratic in facilities. For instance, Raffa et al. (2018) indicate that handwashing practices among healthcare professionals remain significantly low. The authors further reveal that stakeholders have achieved minimal progress so far in addressing this problem since the publication of guidelines by the WHO in 2009. As a result, these inconsistencies in handwashing practices complicate the transmission of HAIs further withi...