Preventing Infections in any Healthcare Setting

With hospital acquired infections on the rise, it becomes crucial that we curb the growing rate, now more than ever. Learn from our expert, Major Dr. Sayed Moulana – Medical Superintendent, Sunshine Hospitals – Secunderabad as he discusses about how hospitals can control infections through various means and make sure that patients receive high quality care which they deserve.

Major Dr. Sayed Moulana, pursued his MBA in Health Care Management from Indian School of Business after his Diploma in Medical Tourism and PG-Diploma in Hospital Administration from Medvarsity. He has 16 years of experience in Healthcare Industry in providing exceptional quality work holding key positions in hospitals.

Here are some pointers he suggests for the health centers to focus on:

Appropriate Hand-Wash Regime: We all know how important hand wash is and how a proper routine at healthcare settings helps to prevent the spread of various transmission infections. Research proves that following a proper hand wash regime lowered the surgical site infections largely. Moreover, as per NABH guidelines, it is mandatory for hospitals to follow the appropriate 5-6 step hand wash procedure when dealing with patients.

Antibiotic Policy: There are certain antibiotic policies by NABH which need to be followed to improve the infection prevention at healthcare centers. Antibiotic policies are defined as per the antibiogram of that particular hospital and has to be complied by the accountable team stringently, which is a mandate for patient safety in all NABH accredited hospitals. The primary goal is to minimize the infections caused due to antibiotic resistance and increase their effectiveness for the treatment/prevention of varied communicable diseases.

Protocols and Checklists: There should be proper bundles and checklist in place to manage the medical equipment at hospitals safely. The healthcare professionals need to execute all the processes in the checklist before and after using equipment such as ventilators, catheters and others that the patients come in touch with.

Quality Standards: India, as a nation is being burdened with the increase in Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs), which has led the government to take suitable measures and create awareness. More emphasis is being placed on quality and it is one of the reasons that hospitals are being encouraged to get NABH accredited and ensure high quality patient care.

Hospital Infection Control (HIC) Team: It is advisable for every hospital to establish an HIC team. The ideal team should consist of an infection control officer, a microbiologist preferably, under whom a group of 2-3 Infection Control Nurses(ICN’s) can be appointed. Their sole responsibility is to ensure that the right protocols are being followed across the entire hospital. Furthermore, regular quality meetings need to be conducted, to get the feedback and discuss the compliance rates. On the whole, a 90% of compliance rate should be the aim and 92-95% is a must in the ICUs.

Interested in knowing more about Infection Prevention? Check out our Masterclass in Infection Prevention and Control which has been designed based on the best practices and latest guidelines to help healthcare professionals implement infection prevention measures in their hospitals.