Naturally, there are bacteria and microbes present in hospitals to which various people are exposed. These bacteria cells can enter the cell walls of the skin.
Good hygiene and cleanliness in hospitals reduce the risk of cross-contamination and transmission of contagious viruses. Cleanliness of hospitals is linked to infection control.
Maintaining good hygiene has therefore never been so important!
Every hospital must adhere to a regular cleaning protocol to ensure that the hospital adheres to the standards.
(healthcare cleaning)
Let's take a look at what this cleaning protocol is all about.
General hygiene in hospitals
To guarantee optimal hygiene in hospitals, it is not only important that employees know how to comply with hygiene standards, but also why they should do so.
In this way, awareness is strengthened and people tend to adhere to hygiene standards.
Personal hygiene of employees in hospitals
Employees and clients naturally have a lot of contact with each other. This makes it easier for pathogens to spread through hands, clothing, shared materials and spaces.
When employees have good personal hygiene, this risk is reduced for the human body.
As
you may already know, pathogens are most easily transmitted through the
hands. It is important that the hands are cleaned thoroughly.
Good hand hygiene
is only possible if the employees have short nails without nail polish
or artificial nails and if they do not wear hand and wrist jewellery.
Pathogens can spread through jewellery and hair. It is recommended to wear the hair short, up or in a clean and tight headscarf.
In
any case, the hair must not come into contact with the client. It is
also important for male employees to keep their beards short.
In addition, hands should be washed with soap and water to clean soiling. NB! Do not forget to disinfect your hands with a disinfectant.
Water and soap clean your hands, but a disinfectant kills the bacteria and viruses that are already present on your hands.
Hand hygiene must always be guaranteed. At least in the following situations:
- Before and after contact with clients;
- If the hands are visibly dirty;
- After a toilet visit;
- After sneezing and coughing, even when using a handkerchief;
- Before and after preparing or serving food;
- After cleaning work.
Keeping work clothes clean
There are also hygiene standards that must be observed with regard to work clothing.
The work clothes must be put on clean on the work floor every day.
It is important here that employees change on the work floor and do not take the work clothes home with them.
Then work clothes should be washed at a minimum temperature of 40 °C to 60 °C.
It is also recommended to use work clothing in which, at least when providing care to clients, the forearms are free from work clothing up to the elbow.
It is therefore wise to wear short sleeves or roll up the sleeves.
Finally,
it is recommended to wear work clothes that do not shed, as this makes
it more difficult for pathogens to settle in the material dust.
Keeping mobile communication tools clean
Just like how hands can contain bacteria, mobile communication tools can also contain pathogens that can then be spread again.
For this reason, it is important to keep mobile communication tools clean.
Before
or after employees use means of communication, it is recommended to
apply hand hygiene (washing hands with soap and water and disinfecting
the hands).