C361 - Task _2 C361 â Task 2 A1. Healthcare Problem Proper hand hygiene is the simpl

C361 - Task _2  C361 – Task 2  A1.  Healthcare Problem  Proper hand hygiene is the simplest and most cost-effective way to reduce or prevent hospital-acquired infections (HAI).  Not only is it essential for healthcare workers (HCW) to perform proper and frequent hand hygiene, but “…recent studies suggest that patient hand hygiene may be important in preventing the spread of infection from patient to healthcare worker and from patient to patient…It is paradoxical that hand hygiene practice often decreases considerably when patients are admitted to a hospital or long-term-care facility.”  Knighton et al. (2016)  A2.  Significance of the Problem  “Each year health care-associated infections affect more than 2 million Americans.  Pathogens on the hands of both health care workers and patients can lead to health care-associated infections and can be spread from person to person, person to object, and object to object.”  Knighton et al.  (2016)  Most healthcare facilities provide alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHR), but many patients in hospital settings and residents of long-term care facilities (LTCF) are unable to independently perform proper hand hygiene due to cognitive deficits and/or physical limitations or the lack of understanding regarding the importance of the practice. This population may require education regarding and assistance with these hygiene practices.  A 3.  Current Practice  Current practices in healthcare settings regarding patient hand hygiene include traditio