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Amasht Hygiene E-news | March 2014 |
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| The Importance of Cleanliness in the Medical Profession |
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Why are people in the medical profession concerned about cleanliness? Simply because its a matter of life and death. Cleanliness is important to help stop the spread of numerous diseases and protect patients from life-threatening infections. One easy way to prevent the spread of germs is by washing your hands. |
| This simple act can decrease communicable gastrointestinal diseases by 50 percent and communicable respiratory diseases by 20 percent. Sadly, not everyone is aware of the benefits of hand washing. |
| Dr. Laura Rosen of Tel Aviv University's School of Public Health found after studying 40 pre-schools and kindergartens in the Jerusalem area that teachers were often unaware of the link between hand washing and health. In short, they failed to instruct kids about this practical hygienic measure. |
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| More alarming is the warning from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that said that one in every 22 patients would get an |
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infection while hospitalized. That same infection would kill 99,000 patients. This adds up to 1.7 million cases every year. The CDC revealed those infections and other powerful bacteria that lurk in hospitals cause about $4.5 billion in excess costs to the medical establishment. |
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| Antibiotic drug-resistant bacteria account for about two-thirds of infections. One common cause of deadly infections is Methicilin-resistant Staphyloccoccusaureus(MRSA) that is resistant to antibiotics and plagues a lot of hospitals in the country. It first appeared in 1968 and is responsible for 63 percent of hospital staphylococcus infections. To stop these deadly infections, Betsy McCaughey, founder of the non-profit Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths, said three things are needed: meticulous hand washing between procedures, proper cleaning of equipment before and after they are used, and identifying infected people who enter the hospital. |
| Hospital staff should also maintain proper attire. Scrubs and medical uniforms are designed to maintain a healthy, clean work environment and should be worn almost exclusively. |
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