Nosocomial infections represent the most frequent adverse event for patients during hospital stays, and they threaten the quality of patient care. Removing pathogens from inanimate surfaces could be a useful and helpful complement to conventional hygiene measures.
When wounds fail to close, medical assistance is needed. Here, measures to prevent biofilms from forming in the wound play a decisive role. Bacteria can lead to delayed wound healing – and this occurs much more frequently than previously assumed.
How can hand hygiene compliance in hospitals be increased? This is one question that Simone Scheithauer addresses in her studies. Scheithauer is head of the Institute for Hospital Hygiene and Infectious Diseases at the University Hospital Göttingen, Germany. In the interview, she reveals reasons for poor compliance, along with effective approaches for better hand hygiene.
Before any surgery, there must be trust: Trust in the expertise and experience of doctors and OR staff, but also in the hospital's hygiene standards. Because even in routine procedures, wound infections - which can be avoided – unfortunately continue to occur.
