Hand washing refers to the act of cleansing one’s hands using soap or similar substances and water to eliminate pathogens. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that the whole process should be conducted for at least 20 seconds before and after certain activities (as cited in Paul, 2020). These include before and upon caring for a sick individual, after using the lavatory, blowing one’s nose, and handling waste materials. Therefore, the research aims to propose the Hand Washing with Organic Soap (HWWOS) technique that reduces healthcare costs and provides essential hand hygiene benefits.
The initiative’s objective is to improve hygiene by using an organically manufactured hand wash soap that is also cheap. As Hadaway (2020) notes, people get infected with ailments such as influenza and Covid-19 upon failure to clean their hands before touching sensitive organs, including the mouth, nose, and eyes. Moreover, the organic soaps emanate from naturally occurring ingredients, hence, are safer and more affordable, and for the HWWOS technique, they will include:
- Eczema Honey Co. Foaming Hand soap
- Ambre Soir Artisana Liquid
- Beautycounter
HWWOS initiative targets groups or persons whose handwashing behavior can significantly influence disease reduction and hygiene promotion. The mothers of young children play a significant role in ensuring their infants do not contact ailments when they visit healthcare facilities and when at home. School-age youngsters will also form a target audience as future caretakers due to their susceptibility to the uptake of the emerging health behaviors and enthusiastic habits (Hadaway, 2020). All patients seeking treatment at the facility and visitors shall also be targeted for the program.
The improvement of hand hygiene in healthcare presents peculiar demerits; hence, the medical management personnel will also be involved. The target audience would, therefore, include healthcare workers as well. The category consists of doctors, nurses, and other staff. The HWWOS program also draws ideas from other projects (Paul, 2020). For instance, the Cleanyourhands Campaign, initiated in England, helped in supporting the local realization of multimodal hand cleaning strategy, where the hand washing points were situated at:
- The main facility entrance
- Patient’s area
- The reception
- Various entry points in the premise’s buildings (especially at the administration block and cafeteria (Isnawati, 2020).
In terms of benefits, organic soap is mostly designed to be compatible with human skin from inception. The handwashing materials include high-quality additives such as tea tree for their final products (Isnawati, 2020). Good hygiene forms the first line of defense against the transmission of various illnesses. Therefore, a consideration of the HWWOS technique improves the health of the person. For instance, Eczema Honey has an unscented and gentle nature, infused with naturally occurring Aloe Vera and organic honey.
The product made of natural extracts will also save the healthcare facility’s cost. Eczema Honey, for instance, values at $8.5 per liter compared to inorganic soaps that range at over $15.6 (Hadaway, 2020). Beautycounter Hand Wash also comprises various botanical oils with a refreshing scent and ensures hydration, green tea for antioxidants, and calendula to aid in countering inflammation. Therefore, with these natural ingredients on the soap, the general hand hygiene for patients and health care providers will be maintained.
Interprofessional collaboration remains a fundamental component in the implementation of health promotion and illness aversion. The partnership emerges as a practical step in reducing errors and improving care (Ataee et al., 2017). HWWOS will involve not only medical care providers and the hospital management. The three companies manufacturing organic soaps, for example, Eczema Honey, Bastide Ambre Soir, and Beautycounter firms, shall play a crucial role in manufacturing the equipment (Isnawati, 2020). The hospital administration should also work closely with the Department of Health to ensure funding of the program.
Budget Justification
Total Cost = $1578.45
In terms of evaluation basis, healthcare improvement not only entails equipping health care facilities with medical supplies and qualified medical care providers. It also involves steps such as ensuring the general hygiene in terms of handwashing remains promoted (Alsagher et al., 2018). HWWOS program will be evaluated in terms of the context in which it can be adapted to work in the facility, therefore using a developmental theory-guided assessment. Assessment of both successful and failed similar programs in the past helps determine the possibility of the initiative’s progress recommendation for improvement.
In conclusion, various handwashing techniques help promote the body’s general hygiene because human hands are the first contact point with most matters. HWWOS is more affordable in terms of cost. The organic soaps intended for the initiative are also made from natural extracts, for instance, Aloe Vera, hence gentle and compatible with the skin. The scheme also takes into consideration the crucial areas where investment in the plan would positively impact.
References
Alsagher, M. R., Soudah, S. A., Khsheba, A. E., Fadel, S. M., Dadiesh, M. A., Houme, M. A., Eshagroni, A. S., Alosta, F. F., & Almsalaty, S. M. (2018). Handwashing before and after applying different hand hygiene techniques in places of public concern in Tripoli-Libya. The Open Microbiology Journal, 12(1), 364−375. Web.
Ataee, R. A., Ataee, M. H., Tavana, A. M., & Salesi, M. (2017). Bacteriological aspects of handwashing: A key for health promotion and infection control. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 8(1), 16. Web.
Hadaway, A. (2020). Handwashing: Clean hands save lives. Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet, 24(1), 43−49. Web.
Isnawati, N. (2020). Formulation and effectiveness test of eschericia coli bacteria organic liquid soap preparations aloe vera leaf (aloe vera linn). Health Media, 1(2), 45–49.
Paul, L. (2020). Liquid foaming soap composition and dispenser. (US Patent No. US18330700P). Google Patents. Web.