Indeed, nursing best practices are pivotal to excellence in healthcare and patient safety and satisfaction. In the current healthcare environment, the nurse is faced by challenges, questions, and needs every day that need not only appropriate intervention but also effective decision making that is informed by evidence-based practice. On this accord, as a member of a nursing team at my organization, several areas need improving, but only a few require immediate intervention. As such, this discourse is a professional recommendation on how to prevent infections as a best practice that seeks to improve patient safety and health outcome at any health organization.
Best Practice to Implement
Following an analysis of the workplace and independent survey compiled through observation, the best new practice identified for implementation is prevention of infections. Indeed, as Clarke (1995) ascertained in the Nightingale legacy, time for a change for better nursing and evidence-based practice has come, and this should be done uncompromisingly. Certainly, there exist strategies put in place by the management towards the same, but they have not been as effective as they should be, and as such, this document seeks to improve them.
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Further, infections have remained a rampant challenge in the nursing industry whose rates have continued to remain high following different procedures such as surgery or intrusive ones that take place in a hospital. Patients who develop infections are exposed to risks of prolonged hospital stay, serious illness, or even death. For instance, a patient that is fitted with a catheter might inadvertently get an infection not exclusively due to lack of hygiene but because of prolonged catheterization which might be necessary for their condition. As such, the nurse can take necessary EBP steps to prevent such kind of infections through recommendations by this document.
Steps to Implementation
Perhaps the first step of implementing the best practice is training nurses on best hygiene practices. Nurses are indeed well knowledgeable and skilled in maintaining hygiene. However, there is a need to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and application in a clinical setting (LoBiondo-Wood, 2018). As such, when and how the nurses should keep their hands clean is essential when dealing with the patients to avoid spreading any infections onto them.
The second step strategy in the implementation is imparting the importance of a practice referred to as barrier protection. Barrier protection in this context means wearing protective gear such as gowns, gloves, masks, goggles when dealing with different situations in nursing. For instance, surgery will require the nurse to put on all the above equipment while regular checking of blood pressure in patients will only need gloves and masks in some instances. It is essential to remember that changing this equipment from time-to-time is as well fundamental in preventing infections.
The third step towards implementation is creating awareness as well as training the nurses on proper decontamination practices. This practice will require following specific guidelines and criteria as specified by WHO and CDC. Decontamination here refers to not only the room but also equipment such as surgery equipment. Retraining and education on new decontamination procedures will be undertaken as necessitated.
The final step of implementation is antibiotic stewardship. In essence, microorganisms are increasingly becoming resistant to new drugs, and as such, preventing overuse of antibiotics will go a long way in preventing infections. Since the nurses only follow the regimen provided by the doctors, this will be directed to the latter. Involving the management in this step is also crucial in determining the best drugs and when to use them.
Literature to Support New Practice
According to Stone et al. (2015), devising methods of ensuring effective, efficient, and standardized prevention and control of infections continue to be a national priority. In nursing homes alone, the authors stipulate that between 1.6 and 3.8 million infections occur annually and most of these infections are related to multi-drug resistant organisms. Further, the authors cite poor infection prevention and control practices as part of the problem. To put the severity of the issue to perspective, in nursing homes; infections are the leading cause of mortality, morbidity, and hospital admission of residents.
Rebmann & Carrico (2017) add to the literature by reiterating that proper infection prevention procedures are a salient nursing practice in protecting the health of patients. According to the authors, failure to employ appropriate practices will not only result in disease or infection transmission but as well as occupational exposures. As such, similar to the recommendations in the implementation steps above, the authors ascertain that knowledge and education, personal protective equipment, and hygiene are all fundamental in infection and disease prevention.
In conclusion, prevention of infections is not just an isolated plight of one organization, but rather, a global phenomenon. As such, it is the hope of this discourse that the recommendations and strategies discussed here will inspire and provoke further action towards not only raising awareness regarding prevention of infections but also devising proper intervention strategies.
References
Clark, H. (1995, June). The Nightingale legacy. Paper presented at Child Health 2000. International Pediatric Nursing Conference, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Retrieved from https://blackboard.ohio.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/NRSE_4550_1033_SEM_FALL_2017-18/CONTENT/MODULE_5/INSTRUCTIONAL_MATERIALS/REQUIRED_RESOURCES/NRSE_4550_M5_IM_Using_Nursing_Research.pdf
LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2018). Nursing research-E-book: methods and critical appraisal for evidence-based practice (9 th Ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Rebmann, T., & Carrico, R. (2017). Consistent Infection Prevention: Vital During Routine and Emerging Infectious Diseases Care. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 22 (1). Doi: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol22No01Man01
Stone, P. W., Herzig, C. T., Pogorzelska-Maziarz, M., Carter, E., Bjarnadottir, R. I., Semeraro, P. K., ... & Schweon, S. (2015). Understanding infection prevention and control in nursing homes: A qualitative study. Geriatric Nursing , 36 (4), 267-272. Doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2015.02.023
