Perspectives from practice: complexities of personal care workers

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 238
Author(s):  
Julie-Anne Martyn ◽  
Sally Zanella ◽  
Adele Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Community Care ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Preservice Education ◽  
Personal Care ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Individual Support ◽  
Care Workers

Personal care workers (PCWs) make up the bulk of the workforce in residential and community care services. The knowledge and skill set needed for safe and effective practice in care settings is extensive. A diverse range of registered training organisations (RTOs) offering Certificate III and IV in Individual Support (aging, home and community) are tasked with producing job-ready PCWs. However, the curricula of these programs vary. Additionally, a national code of conduct for healthcare workers became effective in October 2015 as a governance framework for PCWs. The language of the code statements is ambiguous making it unclear how this framework should be translated by RTOs and applied in the preservice practice preparation of PCWs. Employers of PCWs need to feel confident that the content of the preservice education of PCWs satisfactorily prepares them for the diverse contexts of their practice. Likewise, the health professionals who supervise PCWs must be assured about the knowledge and skills of the PCW if they are to safely delegate care activities. The perspectives presented in this discussion make it clear that investigation into the nebulous nature of PCW education, regulation and practice is needed to identify the shortcomings and enable improved practice.

scholarly journals (P2-21) Differences in Self-Protective Behavior between Hospital Workers and Community Care Workers in Israel during the Peak of A/H1N1 Pandemic

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s142-s142
Author(s):  
Y. Rofe ◽  
Y. Bar-Dayan
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Community Care ◽  
H1n1 Pandemic ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Hospital Workers ◽  
Immunization Rate ◽  
Primary Care Clinics ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Community Care Workers

BackgroundEffective function of the community care system is important during a pandemic. Self-protective behavior might help stop the spread of the disease during a pandemic and prevent system dysfunction because of personnel morbidity.ObjectiveTo compare the immunization rate and reported self-protective behavior of healthcare workers between hospitals and community care clinics during the peak of the winter A/H1N1 pandemic in Israel.MethodsA questionnaire was completed by 1,147 healthcare workers in 21 hospitals and 40 primary care clinics in Israel between 26 November 2009 and 10 December 2009 (the peak of the winter A/H1N1 flu outbreak).ResultsThe rate of vaccination against A/H1N1 among hospital workers (27.9%) was significantly higher compared with primary care clinics workers (19.3%) (OR = 0.691 (0.821–0.582)).

scholarly journals Running to stand still? Two decades of trade union activity in the Irish long-term care sector

2021 ◽  
pp. 102425892110284
Author(s):  
Caroline Murphy ◽  
Michelle O’Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
Public Expenditure ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Personal Care ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Policy Regimes ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Care Workers

This article examines the ongoing efforts of trade unions in Ireland to protect and improve the working conditions of personal care workers amid employment and social policy regimes associated with a liberal welfare state. Comparatively low public expenditure on care and the increasing marketisation of care services have undermined the provision of decent work. This article assesses two major union campaigns related to personal care workers over two decades, and reviews the key priorities that have emerged for unions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We consider whether the outcomes of these campaigns have been converted into enhanced rewards for workers and discuss the continuing challenges for union campaigning.

scholarly journals Observational study of compliance with infection control practices among healthcare workers in subsidized and private residential care homes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie Kit Ling Au ◽  
Lorna Kwai Ping Suen ◽  
Simon Ching Lam
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Respiratory Protection ◽  
Personal Care ◽  
Care Workers

Abstract Background: The elderly population in Hong Kong is rapidly growing, and the need for residential care homes (RCHs) is increasing. The risk of being infected with micro-organisms increases among the frail and the vulnerable elderly population as their immunity system begins to deteriorate. Furthermore, the residents in RCHs are at high risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) due to the confined living environments and individual co-morbidities. In relation to this, infection control practice (ICP) is considered a crucial and effective approach in preventing HAIs. This study aimed to observe the daily ICP of healthcare workers in RCH settings.Methods: An observational study was conducted to observe daily ICP among healthcare workers in private and subsidized RCHs. Each RCH was separated into different units based on the location (common area and bedroom area) and nature of residents for successive days. The ICP episodes were observed until 200 opportunities in each unit. The ICP episodes were recorded by an electronic tool called “eRub,” which is an ICP checklist based on international guidelines.Results: The most frequent observed ICP episodes were hand hygiene (n=1053), the use of gloves (n=1053) and respiratory protection (n=1053). The overall compliance of hand hygiene was poor, with only 15% of participants performing this during the “five moments for hand hygiene.” Furthermore, the observations showed that 77.9% improperly performed the use of gloves, and 31.8% failed to wear a mask during the care provision for the elderly. However, the results showed that most healthcare workers can wear the mask in a proper way when they should. Generally, the personal care workers were the worst in terms of hand hygiene and use of gloves compared with the other types of healthcare workers. Conclusions: Despite the fact that the practice of hand hygiene, the use of gloves, and respiratory protection were the important elements of ICP, overall compliance to these elements was still poor. Personal care workers had the most frequent contact with the residents, but they had the worst compliance rate. Hence, continued monitoring and training among healthcare workers is needed, particularly personal care workers, in this healthcare service setting.

scholarly journals Observational study of compliance with infection control practices among healthcare workers in subsidized and private residential care homes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie Kit Ling Au ◽  
Lorna Kwai Ping Suen ◽  
Simon Ching Lam
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Respiratory Protection ◽  
Personal Care ◽  
Care Workers

Abstract Background: The elderly population in Hong Kong is rapidly growing, and the need for residential care homes (RCHs) is increasing. The risk of being infected with micro-organisms increases among the frail and the vulnerable elderly population as their immunity system begins to deteriorate. Furthermore, the residents in RCHs are at high risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) due to the confined living environments and individual co-morbidities. In relation to this, infection control practice (ICP) is considered a crucial and effective approach in preventing HAIs. This study aimed to observe the daily ICP of healthcare workers in RCH settings.Methods: An observational study was conducted to observe daily ICP among healthcare workers in private and subsidized RCHs. Each RCH was separated into different units based on the location (common area and bedroom area) and nature of residents for successive days. The ICP episodes were observed until 200 opportunities in each unit. The ICP episodes were recorded by an electronic tool called “eRub,” which is an ICP checklist based on international guidelines.Results: The most frequent observed ICP episodes were hand hygiene (n=1053), the use of gloves (n=1053) and respiratory protection (n=1053). The overall compliance of hand hygiene was poor, with only 15% of participants performing this during the “five moments for hand hygiene.” Furthermore, the observations showed that 77.9% improperly performed the use of gloves, and 31.8% failed to wear a mask during the care provision for the elderly. However, the results showed that most healthcare workers can wear the mask in a proper way when they should. Generally, the personal care workers were the worst in terms of hand hygiene and use of gloves compared with the other types of healthcare workers. Conclusions: Despite the fact that the practice of hand hygiene, the use of gloves, and respiratory protection were the important elements of ICP, overall compliance to these elements was still poor. Personal care workers had the most frequent contact with the residents, but they had the worst compliance rate. Hence, continued monitoring and training among healthcare workers is needed, particularly personal care workers, in this healthcare service setting.

scholarly journals Observational Study of Compliance With Infection Control Practices Among Healthcare Workers in Subsidized and Private Residential Care Homes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie Kit Ling Au ◽  
Lorna Kwai Ping Suen ◽  
Simon Ching Lam
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Respiratory Protection ◽  
Personal Care ◽  
Care Workers

Abstract Background The elderly population in Hong Kong is rapidly growing, and the need for residential care homes (RCHs) is increasing. The frail and the vulnerable elderly population is prone to being infected with micro-organisms as the immunity system begins to deteriorate. Furthermore, the residents in RCHs are at high risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) due to the confined living environment and individual co-morbidities. In relation to this, infection control practice (ICP) is the crucial and effective prevention of HAIs. This study aimed to observe the daily ICP of healthcare workers in RCHs settings. Methods An observational study was conducted to observe daily ICP among healthcare workers in private and subsidized RCHs. Each RCH was separated into different units by location (common area and bedroom area) and nature of residents for successive days. The ICP episodes were observed until 200 opportunities in each unit. The ICP episodes were recorded by an electronic tool called “eRub,” which is the checklist of ICP based on international guidelines. Results The most frequent observed ICP episodes were hand hygiene (n = 1053), the use of gloves (n = 1053), and respiratory protection (n = 1053). The overall compliance of hand hygiene was poor, which only 15% performed during the “five moments for hand hygiene.” Furthermore, the observations showed that 77.9% improperly performed the use of gloves, and 31.8% failed to wear a mask during the care provision for the elderly. However, the results showed that most healthcare workers can wear the mask in a proper way when they should. Generally, the personal care workers were the worst in hand hygiene and use of gloves compared with the other types of healthcare workers. Conclusions Despite the fact that the practice of hand hygiene, the use of gloves and respiratory protection were the important elements of ICP, overall compliance to these elements was still poor. Personal care workers had the most frequent contact with the residents, but they had the worst compliance rate. Hence, continued monitoring and training among healthcare workers is needed, particularly personal care workers, in this healthcare service setting.

scholarly journals Observational study of compliance with infection control practices among healthcare workers in subsidized and private residential care homes

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie Kit Ling Au ◽  
Lorna Kwai Ping Suen ◽  
Simon Ching Lam
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Respiratory Protection ◽  
Personal Care ◽  
Care Workers

Abstract Background The elderly population in Hong Kong is rapidly growing, and the need for residential care homes (RCHs) is increasing. The risk of being infected with micro-organisms increases among the frail and the vulnerable elderly population as their immunity system begins to deteriorate. Furthermore, the residents in RCHs are at high risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) due to the confined living environments and individual co-morbidities. In relation to this, infection control practice (ICP) is considered a crucial and effective approach in preventing HAIs. This study aimed to observe the daily ICP of healthcare workers in RCH settings. Methods An observational study was conducted to observe daily ICP among healthcare workers in private and subsidized RCHs. Each RCH was separated into different units based on the location (common area and bedroom area) and nature of residents for successive days. The ICP episodes were observed until 200 opportunities in each unit. The ICP episodes were recorded by an electronic tool called “eRub,” which is an ICP checklist based on international guidelines. Results The most frequent observed ICP episodes were hand hygiene (n = 1053), the use of gloves (n = 1053) and respiratory protection (n = 1053). The overall compliance of hand hygiene was poor, with only 15% of participants performing this during the “five moments for hand hygiene.” Furthermore, the observations showed that 77.9% improperly performed the use of gloves, and 31.8% failed to wear a mask during the care provision for the elderly. However, the results showed that most healthcare workers can wear the mask in a proper way when they should. Generally, the personal care workers were the worst in terms of hand hygiene and use of gloves compared with the other types of healthcare workers. Conclusions Despite the fact that the practice of hand hygiene, the use of gloves, and respiratory protection were the important elements of ICP, overall compliance to these elements was still poor. Personal care workers had the most frequent contact with the residents, but they had the worst compliance rate. Hence, continued monitoring and training among healthcare workers is needed, particularly personal care workers, in this healthcare service setting.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody prevalence in health care personnel in a tertiary care teaching hospital treating COVID-19 patients

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Padmapriya ◽  
Akshata Krishna Prabhu ◽  
Shincy Mettingal Ramakrishnan ◽  
Ravikumar Kadahalli Lingegowda ◽  
Sudhakar Honnamachanahalli
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Health Care Personnel ◽  
Infection Rates ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Care Workers

Background: Serosurvey is a salient method for estimating infection rates and monitoring the progression of a pandemic. This study was done to determine the extent of seroprevalence of SARS-COV-2 antibodies among health care personnel of a tertiary care hospital.Methods: Serum samples of 532 participants working in a teaching hospital which provides tertiary care services to the poor were tested for SARS-CoV-2-IgG antibodies. A questionnaire was used to collect demographic details and hygiene practices.Results: 160 (30%) out of the 532 participants had IgG levels above the positive cut off value. The seroprevalence was higher in the nurses when compared to other class of staff working in the hospital.Conclusions: The present study shows that the overall seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare workers of a tertiary hospital in Bengaluru is high. This indicates that there is a need for the health care workers to take better precautions while treating COVID patients and emphasis should be given in training them to adhere to more stringent hygienic practices.

Aligning social and health care services: The case of Community Care Connections

2021 ◽  
Vol 143 ◽  
pp. 106350
Author(s):  
Elisa M. Fisher ◽  
Kelley Akiya ◽  
Annie Wells ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Christine Peck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Community Care ◽  
Care Services

Evaluation of a Domestic Steam Disinfector-Dryer Device for Disinfection of Health Care Workers’ Identification Lanyards

2021 ◽  
pp. 216507992110126
Author(s):  
Beverley C. Millar ◽  
John E. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Culture Conditions ◽  
Broth Culture ◽  
Culture Methods ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Nosocomial Pathogens ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Test Organisms

Background Fabric lanyards are commonly worn by health care workers (HCWs) and are known to harbor infectious organisms and contribute to the transmission of infection to HCWs and patients. A diverse range of nosocomial pathogens have been found on lanyards, but there are very few studies describing how to successfully disinfect lanyards to break the chain of transmission. Recently, a steam disinfector-dryer device has come on the market, which performs rapid disinfection against nosocomial pathogens and also dries the contents of the device. It was the aim of this study to evaluate steam disinfection-drying as a method to eliminate pathogens from lanyards. Methods Thirty-eight strips of new, unused, and autoclaved polyester neck lanyards (4 × 2 cm) were inoculated with 30 (12 Gram-positive + 18 Gram-negative) bacteria and one yeast organism. The inoculated lanyard fabric (five organisms per lanyard strip) was placed into a steam disinfector-dryer device and disinfected for 5 minutes and dried for 30 minutes, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Following disinfection and drying, the presence of viable organisms on lanyard fabric was evaluated using enhanced microbiological broth culture methods for 48 hours. Control lanyard strips were treated with organisms and left at room temperature without undergoing disinfection and drying procedures. Findings Steam disinfection-drying eradicated all test organisms from treated lanyards, with no culturable organisms detected following disinfection-drying, even when employing enhanced bacteriological culture conditions. All test organisms remained viable on the control lanyards. Conclusion/Application to Practice Steam disinfection-drying offers a simple method of decontaminating lanyards, producing dry lanyards for immediate reuse. Occupational health practitioners and hospitals should consider assessing the feasibility of adopting this method in their settings to aid in breaking the chain of transmission of nosocomial pathogens via contaminated lanyards.

scholarly journals Adherence to personal protective equipment use among healthcare workers caring for confirmed COVID-19 and alleged non-COVID-19 patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meike M. Neuwirth ◽  
Frauke Mattner ◽  
Robin Otchwemah
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Care Workers

AbstractAdherence observations of health care workers (HCW) revealed deficiencies in the use of recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) among HCW caring in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 wards during the first period of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in a university hospital in Germany. The adherence to wearing surgical face or FFP2-masks and disinfecting hands prior to donning and after doffing the PPE was significantly higher in COVID-19 wards However, there was no total adherence of 100% in COVID-19 wards.

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