Posted: December 2nd, 2022

Natural Science General Microbiology

Natural Science General Microbiology
Introduction
Dancer (2010) and Chirca (2019) carried out studies on the healthcare environment and the risk of hospital-acquired infections. The studies suggest the sources of the infections. The duo provides solutions that healthcare workers can embrace to boost positive outcomes. Disinfectants such as alcohol, chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, phenolics, and aldehydes can improve the level of cleanliness. The purpose of the essay is to examine the studies by Dancer (2010) and Chirca (2019) and possible solutions to hospital-acquired infections.
Problems
The articles address problems in the healthcare environment relating to hospital-acquired infections. Dancer (2010) shows that hospital-acquired infections are increasingly becoming common in healthcare. Dancer related the cause of the problem to a dirty hospital environment (2010). On the other hand, Chirca (2019) states that environmental contamination is responsible for the transmission of nosocomial pathogens which increase the risk of hospital-acquired infections. According to Chirca (2019), contamination on the surfaces such as bed tables, contaminated hands, and call buttons can increase the risk of transmission of pathogens. Dancer (2010) and Chirca (2019) show that the healthcare environment is responsible for various diseases that undermine the recovery process and trigger adverse outcomes.
Proposed Solutions
Dancer (2010) and Chirca (2019) propose various solutions that can be used by healthcare workers to limit the risk they pose to patients due to a contaminated environment. Dancer (2010) proposes that cleaning and disinfecting the surfaces is a quality response to the recurrent outbreaks in the healthcare environment. Nurses have a responsibility to clean hand-touch sites that are a source of pathogens. Prioritizing the routine of cleaning the surfaces and washing hands after attending to a patient can improve the hygiene of the hospital environment. Dancer (2010) proposes that developing and implementing standards of hygiene can improve the outcomes.
Chirca (2019) proposes cleaning and disinfection practices can alleviate some of the pathogens that can survive for days on moist surfaces. Disinfectants such as alcohol, chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, phenolics, and aldehydes can improve the level of cleanliness. Chirca (2019) proposes that ultraviolet light no-touch disinfection technology can be effective in eliminating pathogens that cause hospital-acquired infections. According to Chirca (2019) hospitals can consider other technologies such as self-disinfecting surfaces.
Additional Solutions
One of the additional solutions is to create an infection control policy and provide infection education. An infection control policy will provide the guideline to the behavior and practices of the nurses. It will ensure that nurses will not use practices that can expose patients to pathogens. Another approach is infection education, which helps the healthcare workers to know the risk they expose their patients to and how to control the risks.
Impact on a Nurse Career
The information by Dancer (2010) and Chirca (2019) affects my career as a nurse since it shows the need to exercise precaution in healthcare practice. I will strive to ensure all surfaces are clean to prevent hospital-acquired infections. The information will improve the desire to educate other nurses on the need to improve the safety of the healthcare environment.
Conclusion
The articles address problems in the healthcare environment relating to hospital-acquired infections. Hospital-acquired infections are common due to the dirty hospital environment. The two researchers provide solutions to the problems that put patients at risk. Some of the solutions include cleaning the surfaces, creating an infection control policy, and providing infection education.

References
Chirca, I. (2019). The hospital environment and its microbial burden: Challenges and solutions. Future Microbiology, 14(12), 1007–1010. https://doi.org/10.2217/fmb-2019-0140
Dancer, S. J. (2010). The role of environmental cleaning in the control of hospital-acquired infection. The Journal of Hospital Infection, 73(4), 378–385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2009.03.030

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Tags: Natural Science General Microbiology