1. Implications of a US study on infection prevention and control in community settings in the UK
- Author
-
Jingjing Shang, Margaret V. McDonald, and Dawn Dowding
- Subjects
Male ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Control (management) ,Aftercare ,Nurses, Community Health ,Article ,Interview data ,Care setting ,Nursing ,Hygiene ,Medicine ,Infection control ,Humans ,media_common ,Community and Home Care ,Cross Infection ,Infection Control ,business.industry ,General Medicine ,United Kingdom ,Work (electrical) ,Home Care Agency ,Community setting ,Female ,Clinical Competence ,Guideline Adherence ,business - Abstract
Healthcare-associated infections are a significant reason for readmission to hospital post-discharge to the community. In this paper, the authors describe some of the key findings from a programme of work conducted in a home care agency (community care organisation) in the US. A survey was conducted to explore home care nurses' knowledge, attitudes and beliefs around infection control (n=415); 400 nurse-patient visits were observed, and 50 nurses were interviewed about their infection control practices. Nurses reported high compliance with infection control practices. However, the overall average adherence rate to observed hand hygiene practices was 45.6%. Interview data provided valuable insights into specific challenges faced by nurses in a home care setting. This study provides insights that can be used to enhance infection control practice in community care in the UK.
- Published
- 2020