Risk Assessment Plan
Name of the Student
Professor
Course
Date
Statement of purpose
The increased use of cell phones without observing antiseptic practices by healthcare professionals poses a potential means of transmission of bacterial pathogens. Research shows that the root cause of nosocomial infections within the healthcare set-up is inanimate objects such as cellphones used by healthcare professionals. The cellphones act as reservoirs for nosocomial infections, which can be easily transmitted from the cellphones to healthcare workers’ hands. This causes the spread of infection from one patient to another through the healthcare workers. Nosocomial infections have been associated with a huge number of morbidity and infection rates; thus, it important to devise a strategy for mitigating infections (Banawas et al., 2018). This paper aims to present a risk assessment plan aimed at protecting healthcare workers and patients from nosocomial infections associated with cellphones for hospitals in Saudi Arabia.
Authority and responsibility of implementation
This risk assessment plan is based on a study performed in three different hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Samples were collected from the cellphone of volunteers who worked consecutively for two months in the hospitals. The samples were collected by swabbing the top part of the cellphones. Aseptic practices were observed during the whole process. Written and informed consent was signed by health care workers from different hospitals. It is also important to note that the study was approved by the dean of scientific research in one of the country’s major universities. All the information about the assessment is sourced from Saudi Arabia; thus, the assessment can be implemented.
Goals and objectives
This risk assessment plan aims to foresee the risks posed by nosocomial infections due to the use of cellphones by healthcare workers, evaluate the impact of the infections, and devise the necessary responses to mitigate the risks posed by the infections. The plan aims to ensure that there is patient safety. Patient safety is the utmost important thing in hospitals. It is important to note that the health of the patient will be secure and the health of health care workers. The other goal of the plan is to cut down costs that are related to treating nosocomial infections. The costs are avoidable; thus, avoiding them will put the use of that money into something more important. Lastly, this assessment plan aims to point the alternative or better means of using cellphones in the hospital.
Scopes and functions
The plan’s scope is to estimate the potential human health and environmental risks posed by the infections. The plan’s function is to provide healthcare providers and nurses with knowledge on how to curb the nosocomial infections. The plan aims to evaluate and mitigate hazards.
Nosocomial infections are infections that are acquired within the hospital environment. They are usually transmitted via hospital equipment, healthcare workers, patients, and interventional procedures. To identify the link between the bacteria and the infections, the health workers were given questionnaires to fill. The questionnaires sought to determine the usage of cell phones within the hospital, whether the phones were cleaned with disinfectants, and whether there was an awareness that cell phones can contribute to the infection and spread of nosocomial infections.
The results showed that more than half of the cell phone swabs collected from the different hospitals were infected with nosocomial infections. The frequency of infections varied between the different hospitals. The contamination of the cellphones can be attributed to the contamination of the hospital environment with nosocomial infections. This makes it possible for the hands of the health workers and other body parts to be contaminated with pathogens, which are then transferred into the phones. Most health workers utilize their phones in the laboratories, intensive care units, and operating rooms. Thus, this makes it easy for the pathogens to be transferred throughout the hospital. Through any use of the phone, there is a risk that phones get into contact with the contaminated areas. Cellphones provide favorable habitat for the pathogens because of their high temperature. The infections are most common throughout Saudi Arabia in intensive care units, where the incidences are 2 to 5 times more than in the normal hospitalized regions. Therefore, intensive care unit patients stand a higher chance of developing nosocomial infections than other patients.
The Risks
All hospitalized patients are prone to contracting nosocomial infections. However, some patients stand a higher risk of contracting infections than others. The older patients and patients whose immune system has been compromised stand a higher chance of contracting the infections than children. It is said that 32 percent of the urinary infections, 22 percent of surgical infections, 15 percent of lung infections, and 14 percent of bloodstream infections are associated with nosocomial infections. The infections pose a significant amount of hazard, such as patients who contract the infection via surgery to spend additional time in the hospital. More so, they are more likely to be readmitted after and discharge, and still, they are more likely to die. Not to forget that the patients are more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit. This leads to increased expenditures on the infections (Choi et al., 2018).
Cutting down the Risks
The first preventive measure is that the healthcare workers are supposed to wash their hands before and after attending to the patients with soap and water or alcohol-based handwash. Al-Gethamy et al., 2017, point out that washing hands can reduce nosocomial infections by 40 percent. Hand washing among the patient safety initiatives that have been prioritized by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is more recommendable to wash hands than to hand disinfectants because disinfectants tend to cause skin irritation. Therefore, hand hygiene should be well understood by all healthcare workers and should be practiced in all health care facilities. Training courses should be offered to improve compliance. Also, handwashing items should be placed next to each of the patient’s beds or rooms to improve the process’s efficacy. The hospitals in Saudi Arabia should ensure that they are at par with the international standards of washing hands. Given that urinary infections are the most common nosocomial infections, catheters should always be washed.
Studies show that the level of nosocomial awareness among healthcare providers in the hospitals that the research was carried out was average. This explains why more that more than half of the cell phones that were sampled had nosocomial infections. Thus, there is a need to introduce educational programs that aim to sensitize healthcare providers on how cell phones contribute to nosocomial infections. The infection control programs should be devised properly in a manner that will motivate the workers not to wash their hands before and after attending to the patients. To add, the program should also educate them on the appropriate use of cell phones while being in service. They should be able to learn the possible ways to use their phones without contributing to the infection and spread of nosocomial infections. Also, there should be regular monitoring of the compliance of the programs and measures introduced. The other measure is that the health workers are supposed to wear the necessary gear when attending to the patients. They are not supposed to operate cell phones while wearing hand gears because it increases infection chances. Operating cell phones while wearing hand gears increases the chances of forgetting to wash the hands after finishing with the cell phone. Therefore, it would be advisable for health workers not to use their cell phones while wearing hand gears Alaidarous & Waly, 2018).
Zakai, 2019, points out that time demands are one of the obstacles in handwashing. The time to complete patient care duties and wash the hands is a perceived obstacle for not washing the hands among health workers. Hospital observatory studies in Saudi Arabia ppointout that thandwashingfrequency oaries between the different wards at an average of 5 to 30 times per shift. Most of the handwashing is witnessed in the ICU. This points out that the time limitations should be revised and that there should be plenty of handwashing opportunities in the hospital.
Monitoring and evaluating the program’s quality is important because it helps in tracking targets for the program and providing insights into how the program is improving. The quality of the risk assessment plan would be evaluated by considering whether the programs’ goals and objectives are achieved. Data collection would be key in measuring the progress of the program. The roles and responsibilities of each of the persons involved in the program would also be evaluated to consider the program (Al-Asmari & Nooh, 2017).
Conclusion
The adherence and promotion of handwashing are among the most effective and efficient measures of reducing the infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria. The process would require multidisciplinary participation to identify adherence factors, perceived barriers, and health care workers’ personal beliefs. Also, there will be a need for training programs for all healthcare workers in all the hospitals in Saudi Arabia.
Reference
Al-Asmari, A. M., & Nooh, R. (2017). Hand Hygiene Practices at Mina Hospitals’ Emergency Departments During Hajj Season 2012, Saudi Arabia. Journal of US-China Public Administration, 14(1), 1-15.
Zakai, S. A. (2019). Antibiotic resistance in Saudi Arabia and some Middle Eastern countries: Current status. African Journal of Microbiology Research, 13(8), 151-157.
Alaidarous, M., & Waly, M. I. (2018). Hand hygiene practice among laboratory workers in selected hospitals in Saudi Arabia. BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS, 11(1), 11-17.
Al-Gethamy, M. M., Faidah, H. S., Adetunji, H. A., Haseeb, A., Ashgar, S. S., Mohanned, T. K., … & Hassali, M. A. (2017). Risk factors associated with multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii nosocomial infections at a tertiary care hospital in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, matched the case–control study. Journal of International Medical Research, 45(3), 1181-1189.
Choi, S., Jung, E., Choi, B. Y., Hur, Y. J., & Ki, M. (2018). High reproduction number of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in nosocomial outbreaks: mathematical modelling in Saudi Arabia and South Korea. Journal of Hospital Infection, 99(2), 162-168.
Banawas, S., Abdel-Hadi, A., Alaidarous, M., Alshehri, B., Bin Dukhyil, A., Alsaweed, M., & Aboamer, M. (2018). Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Associated with Cell Phones of Healthcare Professionals in Selected Hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Canadian Journal Of Infectious Diseases And Medical Microbiology, 2018, 1-7. doi: 10.1155/2018/6598918