Are you a mom who works in healthcare? Every mom deserves a break, and what could be better than getting a break while keeping your loved ones safe from hospital-acquired infections (HAIs)? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), moms working in healthcare can prevent the spread of HAIs by following simple steps. Make sure you use surgical face masks for better protection. This blog post will discuss the simple steps that every mom who works in healthcare can take to prevent the spread of HAIs. Let's get started.
Disinfect Shoes and Clothing
One of the simplest ways to prevent the spread of HAIs is to disinfect your shoes and clothing when you enter the hospital. The CDC recommends using a bleach-based solution to disinfect your shoes and clothing. You can also use shoe sanitizers to disinfect your shoes. As highlighted by the team behind HealthySole, the sanitizers use UVC Technology to kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses on the surface of shoes. This ensures that you don't spread HAIs from your shoes to other patients in or outside the hospital.
When disinfecting your shoes and clothing, it is important to remember to use the recommended amount of bleach or sanitizers. This ensures that your shoes and clothing are disinfected properly and that you don't harm yourself or others with the chemicals. For instance, when using a bleach-based solution, the CDC recommends using 1 part bleach to 10 parts water.
Wash Your Hands
Washing hands is also one of the most important ways to prevent the spread of HAIs. You should wash your hands after contacting any patients, even if you are wearing gloves. Remember to use soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizers are not as effective as soap and water in removing all germs, but they can be used when soap and water are unavailable.
When washing hands, it is important to use running water and to lather your hands with soap. You should scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds before rinsing them with running water. You can use a paper towel to dry your hands or air dry them. If possible, you should avoid touching door handles after washing your hands. This ensures no germs or bacteria are transferred from your hands to door handles.
Use Personal Protective Equipment
As a mom working in healthcare, it is important to use personal protective equipment (PPE). PPE includes gloves, gowns, face masks, and eye protection. You should use PPE when you are in contact with any patients. Remember to remove PPE before leaving the patient's room. It is also important to disinfect or sterilize PPE after each use.
You should also avoid sharing PPE with other healthcare workers. This ensures that you don't spread germs or bacteria through PPE. Also, ensure that the PPEs are cleaned or disposed of properly. This will ensure that you don't contaminate yourself or others when using PPE. If possible, you should also avoid touching your face when wearing PPE.
Keep Yourself and Your Environment Clean
You can also prevent the spread of HAIs by keeping yourself and your environment clean. This means that you should keep yourself and the environment around you clean. This includes your hands, clothing, shoes, and equipment. You should also disinfect or sterilize surfaces that you touch frequently.
You can use soap and water or disinfectants when cleaning yourself and the environment. Remember to use the recommended amount of soap or disinfectant. This will ensure that you don't harm yourself or others with the chemicals. Also, ensure that you follow all health and safety regulations when using chemicals.
Follow Safety Protocols at Work
Another way to prevent the spread of HAIs is to follow safety protocols at work. This includes following all hand hygiene guidelines, using PPE, and following infection control protocols. Following these protocols will help to ensure that you don't spread germs or bacteria from one patient to another.
You should also report any incidents of possible exposure to HAIs. This helps to ensure that the proper precautions are taken to prevent the spread of the infection. For instance, if you are exposed to a patient with an infectious disease, you should report this to your supervisor.
You can also help to prevent the spread of HAIs by getting vaccinated. This helps to protect you and others from diseases that can be spread through contact with contaminated surfaces. For instance, you should get the influenza vaccine every year.
Educate Yourself and Others on HAIs
You can also prevent the spread of HAIs by educating yourself and others on the dangers of these infections. It is important to understand how HAIs are spread and how to prevent them. You can find this information from the CDC website or other reliable sources. You should also share this information with others, such as family and friends.
This also includes educating yourself on the symptoms of HAIs. This way, you can identify the symptoms early and get treatment quickly. This helps to prevent the spread of the infection to others. Also, ensure to seek medical attention if you develop any symptoms of an infection.
By following these tips, you can help to prevent the spread of HAIs. This helps to protect yourself, your family, and others. Using personal protective equipment is important, keeping yourself and your environment clean, and following safety protocols at work. You should also educate yourself and others on the dangers of these infections. By doing these things, you can help to prevent the spread of HAIs.
