1. Introduction
Benefits are related with the hand washing which includes the cost reducing and for the human being there are many other benefits like it also prevent from the infections (Voss & Widmer, 1997). Hand washing can play its important role in reducing the mortality predates and the morbidity in minimizing them (Newsom, 1993).
1.1 Background
The ratio of the infection is always high in the situation where many people live together or they work together closely, in such situation the probability of the infection is so high. High probability of spreading the infection can be reduced if the precautions and necessary actions taken on time. In order to prevent the cross infection basic hygiene requirements are need to be implemented. According to the Bradley & Rees, (2003) have been stated that due to different kind of infections can produce different diseases and the information regarding hand washing benefits can also play its important role in prevention of such diseases those can be produced in the result of cross infections. So the ratio of these kind of diseases can be controlled and can be reduced to a significant numbers if the proper precautions could be undertaken by the people and the awareness of hand washing and other hygiene actions and standards can be implemented and people act on the guidelines to prevent themselves from such type of infections and they can avoid themselves to become victim of such infections, because these infections become cause of many illness among them and these kind of diseases can be easily transfer from one person to other person.
1.2 Guidance on the control and prevention of infection
In June 2003 the National Institute for health and clinical excellence has been published the prevention guidelines from the infections in order to control the spreading the infections. These all the guidelines to prevent the people from the cross infection and these all guidelines were based completely on the scientific scholars statement and were also documented, all those conclusions and the positive recommendations were completely based on the HCAI primary principles and on the high standards and all the measures were made and evaluation methods were used and implemented just in order to prevent people from the cross infection to save their lives and to improve their health and life standards.
1.3 Aim of the Research
There are the following aims and objectives of this research
The researcher will find out about the role and benefits of soap and water in order to minimize the effect of infection
The researcher will also find out the role of water and soap in reducing the number of infected people from cross infection
The researcher will find out the role of soap and water in improving people health quality
Research Approach
The research method and the tools and research techniques adopted by the researcher to conduct this research will be discussed here in this section in detail.
1.4 Objectives
- The literatures will be critically analyzed on the topic of infection and its causes and the methods and guidelines to prevent people from this infection.
- The advantages and importance of all methods those can play their role in controlling and preventing the infection in the care homes to improve the quality of health and lives of residents will be find out.
- Conclusion and recommendations will be made to improve the weak areas and to improve the strategies.
1.5 Research questions
- Which steps are necessary to taken under considerations by the care homes to make preventions and making control the infection in the care homes in United Kingdom?
- What are the main hindrances, issues and problems are related while implementing guidelines to prevent the infection in care homes?
- What are necessary and basic actions important to control and prevent the infections in the care homes?
2.1 Significance of infection control programs
Too much health care resources are required and its cost is so high to offer care services, the cost of health care especially to provide the antibiotic and to provide health care facilities the hospitals need more laboratory studies and medicine supply. According to Rhinehart and Friedman, (2006) that hospitals have acquire the infections germs those can damage the patient’s quality of life. And one main and major cause of hospital acquired infection is the use of advanced technology and the persistent procedures and due to these causes the old people are suffering from the chronic diseases. The main cause and factors those play their role in acquiring infections in the hospitals include antimicrobial resistant bacteria. Due to the shortages of untrained and unskilled employees or staff members those can play their effective role in preventing infections.
2.2 Infection control and promoting factors in care homes
There are following considerations those leads towards reflection
Health care services without infections are always required by the people
While during the treatment the people can be affected through the infection in the hospital or through working or eating or sharing toilets or kitchens stuff with infected people due to cross infection bacteria.
During treatment the people pass through damaged procedures and processes that can cause them infection
According to the Bearman et al., (2004) that health care providers can also transfer into the customers and themselves as well during the investigation and observation process the infectious agents in both ways like indirectly or directly.
There are following some factors those can contribute their important role in spreading the cross transmission and those factors are given as under
In the hospital when there are so many people admitted for their treatment and when there is shortage of staff members to provide necessary treatment
2.3 Different means of infectious disease transmission in homes
In the hospitals there are two kind of main sources of infection and both are discussed in detail below one by one
Exogenous Sources: In this way the infection always spread and the infection bacteria occur just because of the patients those enter the hospitals and come from outside this is called exogenous source of infection bacteria in the hospitals and in this way the others like other patients or staff members they can be affected and the infection can be developed inside them.
Endogenous Source: This is the second way of infection spreading in the hospitals and in this way the bacteria or infection already exist inside the hospital and germs remained inside the part of the hospital and the patients can be affected due to microbes and the patients can be affected seriously.
2.4 Way of infection transmission
2.4.1 Disease transmission cycle
first of all is the main mean of infection transmission is the disease transmission cycle which states that infection can be controlled when all the other necessary elements are clear, means when the infectious agents is identified and the source of the agent has been identified, the susceptible host must be identified those received the agent must be identified and the source from host to agent must be identified then in this way the infection can be controlled successfully. And the basically the relationship among all is called the chain of the infection and some of the scholars stated it as disease or infection transmission cycle (East, 1999). Similarly East, (1999) has been stated that in order to break the transmission of the infection it is necessary to break down the infection transmission chain and then in this way the infection control is possible.
2.4.2 Mechanism of disease transmission cycle
Agent
Agent is the major component that can cause the disease and that can be one of the between following different agents like parasites, virus, fungi or bacteria, so one of them can be the agent of the infection.
Reservoir
2nd main component of the infection transmission cycle is the reservoir and if there is no reservoir then the infection transmission is not possible, and the agent as discussed above is always resides and its growth is always take place in the reservoir. According to the Ayliffe et al., (2000) have been stated that all the items which includes and take part in the clinical processes and procedures always serve as the infection agent reservoirs and the items like human being, plants, air, soil, animals, solutions and water those can take part in the clinical procedures can serve as reservoir for the infection agents.
Exit Place
First of all the infection bacteria called the agent get growth in the reservoir and after infection it leave the reservoir that is called the exit place and the only one way is the skin cut, blood stream, surgical suit, puncture and rash which are known as the exit place for the infection agent.
2.5 Modes of infection Transmission
Contact:
This means the direct mean of infection transmission like through sexual inter course or through touching the infected person, it can be through the hospital visit frequently because the infection germs can be transferred into human being through hospital atmosphere or through any clinical procedure or it can be possible through infection acquired instrument or area.
This area has been divided into two major sub sections
(i). Indirect Transformation: In this way the infection germs can be transferred through infected (already contained infection germs) through infected needle, any other infected clinical or surgical instrument, gloves or through contaminated dress.
(ii). Direct Transformation: the second main source of the infection transformation is the direct source like through one body to another body, one surface to another surface, one physical transformation to another like from one person blood to another person blood it can be transferred.
Droplet Transformation:
Droplet transformation which is always generated by the cough of the already contaminated germs, through the patient sneezing, bronchoscope or through his or her talk as well, and the contaminated drops if fallen at some distance (short distance) some scholars have been stated that minimum at one meter distance they can be affected and harmful for the other healthy people. According to the Wilson, (2011), that through air contaminated drops can be transmitted into other people and the infection agent can move easily in the survivor easily and there is no such a way to disturb the air to interrupt this air that contained the agents.
Vector Transmission
The infection agent always transferred through them those have already this infection inside their body and become cause of infection agent transformation in other physical bodies for example the yellow fever, malaria, plague and fleas for most common here.
4. Common Vehicle Transmission
According to the Pratt et al., (2001) that sometimes the infection agent can be transmitted through the specific material that already contained the infection agent for example the blood that already contained hepatitis A Virus, B Virus and C infection virus and HIV and HCV similarly salmonella spp. Food, in the water some the existence of Shigella or Chol era can also become cause of infection transmission and the infection can be transferred from one people to other people.
Airborne Transmission
Transfer the infection agents in the other physical human body and especial kind of air ventilators and air handling are required to disturb the droplet transformation of infection from air to healthy body, Measles and M. Tuberculosis are the both kind of infections agents those can easily transmit from air to survivors.
2.6 Infection control practices and its Importance
Infection agent transformation control can be break and the disease spreading can be controlled and can be prevented by creating the awareness among the people regarding the use of water and soap and its role and importance. According to the Wilson, (2001) that the awareness about the disease and infection from the HCV and HIV and from the HCV and the scope of the controlling actions and all other activities those can play their role positively, in order to break the infection transmission spreading cycle or chain it is very important to find out the importance of those steps that can easily play their role in breaking the chain or cycle of the germs transformation.
Research Methodology
3.1 Introduction
Importance of case study selection, research limitations, sample size and sample selection method, research method either quantitative or qualitative, tools and techniques those will be adopted by the researcher to records, making analysis and conclusions will be explained.
3.2 Research Method
According to the Saunders et al., (2009) have been stated that it is the demand and need of the time to choose more than one research methods to conduct the research and to achieve the specific aims and objectives, so researchers must select more than one research methods to obtain valid and reliable results. In order to achieve the specific aims and objectives of the research, Saunders et al., (2009) have been defined some effective and important steps to achieve the research aims and objectives efficiently and effectively. The researcher will adopt the qualitative research method to conduct this research to achieve the aims and objectives of this research positively because in this way in the available time and other resources the researcher by selecting the case study as tool can achieve the aims and objectives to solve the research problem. According to the Neumann & Lawrence, (2006) that quantitative research method is most suitable for the researchers when they have limited resources as compared to the qualitative research method, but in the medical sciences in the opinion of the doctors and nursing staff there are more advantages for the researchers to adopt the qualitative research methods.
3.3 Source of data
Here the researcher will use the review of literature as secondary data and the researcher will consult the books, reports, articles and journals, the researcher will also use electronic books, electronic articles and journals as well and websites as well but all the books and articles and press releases and report will be titled on the health care and on the importance of water and soap role in reducing and preventing the people from infections.
3.4 Search results
The researcher has been gathered the about 40 research papers and by adopting the criteria of inclusion and the criteria of exclusion the researcher has been rejected the 17 research papers and the remaining 23 papers were selected by the researcher to conduct the research. And after studying the research papers in details the researcher has again rejected the 8 research papers from the 23 research papers and selected the 15 research papers and then those research papers were evaluated by the researcher as per the aims and the objectives of the research.
3.5 Research Limitations
Shortage of time
Limited financial resources
The researcher has no already research experience
3.6 Ethical considerations
The researcher will not disclose the results to the co workers, colleagues and to the class fellows and the researcher will not include her own opinion in the primary data collection, the researcher will never allow other people to steel her research work. The researcher will abide by all kind of discriminations and will not disclose any information of the participants and will not use this research work for another academic purpose.
1. Project Planning
4.1 Project Resources
Financial cost will be paid by him and all the cost associated with this research will be paid by the researcher.
4.2 Cost of the Project
| Serial Number | Description of Resources | Cost (£) |
| 1 | Printing | 50 |
| 2 | High tea and travelling | 150 |
| 3 | Software cost and printing as well | 250 |
| 4 | Total amount | 450 |
4.3 Gantt Chart
| Problem/Issue | X | |||||||||
| Aims and Objectives | X | X | ||||||||
| Literature Review | X | X | X | |||||||
| Questionnaires | X | X | ||||||||
| Weeks | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Primary Data and analysis | X | X | ||||||||
| Conclusion and Recommendations | X | X | X | |||||||
| Application of Contingency Plan | X | X |
4.4 Contingency Plan
The researcher has 2 consecutive weeks to make necessary changes as per the recommendations of the honourable supervisor.
5. Conclusions and Recommendations
5.1 Standard Precautions
According to the Clarke, (2003) that standard precautions always are useful in reducing the probability or chance of occurring infection very low and if these precautions can be implemented effectively then the infection can be controlled easily and the cost of the infection prevention can be reduced.
There are some precautions have been discussed by the researcher
Personal protection from (The staff members must use their own)
Gown
Gloves
Facemasks
5.2 Transmission Based precautions
There are three different kinds of precautions
Droplet
Contact
Airborne
According to the Cozad & Jones, (2003) that in order to reduce and to prevent people from the infection agent combination of the precautions that is the most suitable and the more effective and efficient way.
5.3 Trainings and educating people
According to the Goldrick, (1999) that following processes and procedures are required to train and creating awareness among the staff members to train them to prevent people from infection.
All the staff people including contractors and regular workers must be trained
5.4 Evaluation of competencies
According to the Pratt et al., (2007) that the environment must be neat and clean and the neat and clean environment can prevent the infection agent to transmit and the hand hygiene must be implemented because the hand hygiene can play its role in the prevention of infection agent among the people.
5.5 Hand Hygiene
According to the Larson, (1995) that hand washing is so important and the people must wash their hands with the liquid or soap and make it sure that they have cleaned their both hands and all the surface of both hands have been properly cleaned.
5.6 Point of care when the hand hygiene is necessary
The hospital staff members of care home staff members must consider the following points.
Touching the patients
Doing wound
Any Task (aseptic)
And after the touching blood, faces, urine, vomits etc.
After touching patients
The staff members must taken into their consideration the following actions
They must wear gloves and must change the gloves after touching one patient
They must put the gloves in the bin after touching patient and do not reuse them
5.7 Conclusion
As this is the social and ethical and on job duty of all the members of the hospitals and care home nursing staff to prevent and to break the infection agent cycle for improving the life and health quality of the patients and to keep clean the atmosphere free from infection agents. It is the duty of all the care providers and the hospitals to provide the healthy environment and infection free atmosphere and environment to the patients.
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