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Hygiene and infection prevention in daily care

Nursing Facilities & Retirement Homes

Effective hygiene solutions for care facilities

The Corona pandemic has once again shown the importance of consistent hygiene in preventing infections in care facilities. To ensure that hygiene management is successful, hygiene specialist Dr. Schumacher offers effective and user-friendly solutions for everyday care.

Whether in the recreation room, when caring for patients, or in the kitchen of the living area - in care facilities, many people, such as caregivers, patients, or visitors, are in close contact with each other every day. In all of these situations, pathogens can be transmitted and cause infections. Elderly people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk.

In the care sector, it is therefore crucial to ensure reliable infection prevention through hygiene measures. Dr. Schumacher GmbH supports care facilities in this challenge with quality products for disinfection, cleaning and care as well as comprehensive information.

The products are subjected to strict quality tests, are easy to use and have proven themselves for decades in healthcare facilities such as nursing homes. Nursing homes are thus well positioned for both routine hygiene tasks based on a hygiene plan and for special challenges such as outbreaks.

Hand hygiene

Hands are the primary route of transmission for pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and fungi. However, regular hygienic hand sanitization can reliably inactivate these germs. Disinfection should be performed at the right time, with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer tailored to the risk situation and the correct rub-in method. This protects the patient and the staff.

5 moments of hand disinfection in healthcare facilities

The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined 5 moments in which hygienic hand disinfection can prevent the transmission of pathogens. The German "Aktion Saubere Hände" (Clean Hands Campaign), in cooperation with the WHO, has adapted the 5-Moments model for use in elderly care facilities:

  • Before contact with residents/caregivers; e.g. before washing or skin care.
  • Before aseptic activities; e.g., PEG tube care, dressing changes, or eye drop administration.
  • After contact with potentially infectious materials; for example, after incontinence care.
  • After contact with residents/patients; e.g., direct physical contact.
  • After contact with the immediate environment of the resident/patient; e.g., bedside table or personal items. For people who are not bedridden, the 5th indication does not apply as they move independently within and outside their living area. Therefore, an immediate environment cannot be defined.
Surface disinfection

Efficient design of infection control

In care facilities, routine surface cleaning is usually sufficient. This removes dust and visible dirt from surfaces. But surfaces can also harbor pathogens that are invisible to the naked eye. Many of these pathogens remain infectious on surfaces for up to several months. If contaminated surfaces are touched with the hands, transmission to other people and surfaces is possible. Therefore, surfaces contaminated with pathogens must be disinfected in a cleaning process to protect them from infection. The disinfectants used for this purpose contain both soil-dissolving substances and antimicrobial agents. Ready-to-use disinfectants, ready-to-use disinfectant wipes, disinfectant concentrates or wipe dispensers are available for surface disinfection.

Skin protection for incontinence

Incontinence affects approximately 76% of residents in nursing homes and retirement communities. One possible consequence of involuntary loss of urine or stool is skin problems. Prolonged contact with feces affects the skin's natural acid mantle. This can lead to inflammatory skin changes and even pathological colonization with bacteria and fungi. Proper hygiene, cleansing, and skin care can prevent skin damage.

Antimicrobial Body Wash

Multi-resistant organisms (MRE) pose a particular risk of infection, including in nursing homes. These pathogens are usually resistant to multiple antibiotics. As a result, infections caused by MRE are much more difficult to treat. However, patients can also become colonized with these pathogens without becoming ill. MRSA is one of the most common multi-resistant bacteria. It colonizes and multiplies on the skin and mucous membranes of humans without causing any recognizable symptoms of disease. However, colonization with MRSA carries the risk of triggering an infection and being transmitted to contact persons, such as staff. To prevent this from happening, individuals colonized with MRSA are given preventive hygiene measures. Washing with antimicrobial substances and using antimicrobial nasal ointments are used to reduce the number of germs on the skin as much as possible.