ASOURCE Times

Frequent hand disinfection is the most effective

In medical institutions, immunocompromised people (hosts) gather, and there are many people who are the source of infection, and the infection routes are diverse, such as contact, droplets, air, and oral. The basis for preventing nosocomial infections of medical staff is "standard precautions".

The Japanese Society for Infection Control and Prevention considers all patients' blood, body fluids (excluding sweat), secretions, excretion, and unhealthy skin and mucous membranes to be infectious. Hand hygiene (washing hands, disinfecting hands) is of particular importance to prevent infection from them, and is the basis of all medical practices.

In the video "How to properly put on and take off personal protective equipment against new coronavirus infections" (https://youtu.be/LPYX2NQoBQg) created by Nagasaki University Hospital, Masaru Tashiro of the same university infection control education center is the instructor. "When putting on and taking off personal protective equipment, contact infection is especially likely to occur from the virus attached to the mask. Frequent hand disinfection is effective to prevent contact infection from the mask," said Mr. Hitoshi.

Areas that are prone to unwashed areas are the fingertips, between the nails and skin, the cuticles, the wrinkles on the palm, the base of the thumb, the bulge, and the wrist. It is important to reconfirm whether or not you can wash properly just because you are doing it every day.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is gloves, masks, aprons / gowns, goggles / face shields, and you can choose from these depending on the situation. Since the outside is contaminated after use, it is important to take it off carefully so as not to touch it and disinfect the hands and fingers immediately (Fig. 1).

At university hospitals designated as Type 1 Infectious Disease Designated Medical Institutions, there are many places where personal protective equipment is put on and taken off at least once a week, and infectious disease specialists say, "Safety while checking each other. The key to preventing infection is to be able to quickly attach and detach it. " Fujita Medical University Hospital, a JCI-certified medical institution, is particularly active in promoting hand hygiene, conducting hand-washing training for all staff, conducting hand-washing disinfectant usage surveys, and striving to comply with infection control measures. ing. As an example of other overall efforts, at Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital, in-hospital rounds are held once a week, and various methods are used at each medical institution, such as environmental surveys and confirmation of appropriate infection prevention measures. Infection measures are being taken.

Figure 1 Order of how to remove personal protective equipment (PPE)
Source: Occupational Infection Control Study Group

We also need an approach based on “One Health”

In recent years, the idea of "One World, One Health" has been attracting attention when assessing the risk of infection. This is a concept that comprehensively considers that all living things and environments are interconnected in understanding human health and illness.
The discussion of this concept tends to be directed to such countries, such as countries with poor sanitary conditions, and it may be difficult for us to realize it. However, even if it is not at the world level, as a medical institution that is open to the community, while working to prevent infection in the facility, what kind of infectious disease is a problem in the community, what kind of infection is at the national level like influenza. It is also required to broaden the scope of infection, such as whether the disease is prevalent.