The United States has a serious problem on its hands in regards to healthcare associated infections. “At any one time in the United States, 1 out of every 25 hospitalized patients are affected by an HAI [Healthcare Associated Infection]” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). This number is extremely high if you take into account that the majority of these infections are preventable with the proper care. These infections are causing increased costs for the patient and facility. They also have the increased risk of becoming antibiotic resistant like the diseases of pneumococcus, gonococcus, and tuberculosis (Kirkwood & Riegelman, 2015). The infections vary from having to do with a central line to a surgical site …show more content…
This intervention is focusing on the area of epidemiology and using current patients to hopefully improve the health of patients in the future. Healthcare associated infections are a very pertinent issue in the area of public health today. The use of copper to eliminate bacteria has long been in use and has been studied in areas of public health before (Humphreys, 2014). Currently copper is being used heavily in the food service industry to help keep those surfaces cleaner and healthier (Humphreys, 2014). It is important to implement anything that can prevent these infections so that they are not unneeded deaths. Currently, this is a chronic issue that is affecting morbidity and mortality rates. This puts a burden on not only the families of these individuals, but also the individuals’ workplace and the hospital where the infection …show more content…
It essential that proper hand hygiene is taught and the use of alcohol based solution is used to complete it (Hornbeck et al., 2012). While this study had varied results from previous studies, it could in fact be more accurate (Hornbeck et al., 2012). This study tried it’s hardest to find a discrete way to measure if individuals really are washing their hands when they should be (Hornbeck et al., 2012). The authors hope to do more research on this area in the future (Hornbeck et al., 2012). They hope to find an even more accurate and discrete way to determine if the healthcare workers are completing the proper hand hygiene (Hornbeck et al.,