Do you practice proper hand rub/ hand wash?
I believe you have seen notices of “How To Handrub” in most of the public toilets (look similar as attached file) but do you practice it? If yes, how often?
Hand hygiene is very important, it helps to reduce in gastrointestinal illness, such as heartburn, indigestion/ dyspepsia, bloating, constipation, and etc. However, these symptoms may be misinterpreted and their impact and significance misunderstood by both health care providers and patients.
Information on Common GI Conditions:
1. Acid Reflux, Heartburn, GERD
2. Dyspepsia/Indigestion
3. Nausea and Vomiting
4. Peptic Ulcer Disease
5. Abdominal Pain Syndrome
6. Belching, Bloating, Flatulence
7. Biliary Tract Disorders, Gallbladder
Disorders
and Gallstone Pancreatitis
8. Gallstone Pancreatitis
9. Gallstones in Women
10. Constipation and Defecation Problems
11. Diarrhea (acute)
12. Diarrhea (chronic)
13. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
14. Hemorrhoids and Other Anal Disorders
15. Rectal Problems in Women
– Excerpt from American College of Gastroenterology
Read more: http://patients.gi.org/topics/common-gi-symptoms/
To quantify the effect of hand-hygiene interventions on rates of gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses and to identify interventions that provide the greatest efficacy, we searched 4 electronic databases for hand-hygiene trials published from January 1960 through May 2007 and conducted meta-analyses to generate pooled rate ratios across interventions (N=30 studies).
Improvements in hand hygiene resulted in reductions in gastrointestinal illness of 31% (95% confidence intervals [CI]=19%, 42%) and reductions in respiratory illness of 21% (95% CI=5%, 34%). The most beneficial intervention was hand-hygiene education with the use
of nonantibacterial soap. Use of antibacterial soap showed benefit compared with the use of nonantibacterial soap.
Hand hygiene is clearly effective against gastrointestinal and, to a lesser extent, respiratory infections. Studies examining hygiene practices during respiratory illness and interventions targeting aerosol transmission are needed.
– Excerpt from Allison E. Aiello, PhD, Rebecca M. Coulborn, BS, Vanessa Perez, MS, and Elaine L. Larson, PhD, RN
Read More: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2007.124610