Foundation Skills in Nursing Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Foundation Skills in Nursing Assessment - Essay Examplehe nurses, since appropriate hand back dud techniques are known to prevent spread of hospital-acquired infection (Lee, Huber, and Davidson, 2008, 12-17). Before beginning my care with him, I decided that I would observe the staff. As per recommendations and guidelines, one should wash turn over before and after attending a patient. Therefore, before handling this patient, I went to the wash basin, took out my watch and ring, and then thoroughly rinsed my hands with piddle right from the elbows to the fingertips The (Infection Control Nurses Association (ICNA), 2003). I had to repeatedly wash these areas with soap and water taking special care not to avoid any areas. The shelter had adequate facilities in all patient areas and treatment rooms. I observed that the wash basins in these areas were special in that they had elbow lever-operated mixer taps and were provided with liquid state soap dispensers, paper hand towels, and f oot-operated waste basins. In just about cases there were alcoholic beverage hand rubs and gels available along with that. I had observed in some cases, when workload was high and less time was available for hand wash, the staff is using alcohol rub instead of soap wash (Nevill and Ikeda, 2006, 12). The RCN guidelines for hand hygienics clearly state that the hands should be decontaminated with correct techniques by washing with a soap or using alcohol solution, and this procedure needs to be stringent before direct contact with the patient or after any activity or contact with the patient including after removal of the gloves (Royal College of Nursing, 2005). Although alcohol is widely used as a rub in the clinical setting, soap and water wash is ideal, and after the wash, the hands should be dried thoroughly. The hands of the healthcare professionals ideally should have short nails, free of polish and clean. It has been shown that wrist watches, jewellery, rings, or rings with st ones carry bacteria potentially hence they should not be worn (Royal College of Nursing, 2005).