When it comes to providing home healthcare and especially hospice care, it is very important to control infections if any and prevent the chances of it reoccurring or spreading. It is for this reason you should vest this responsibility to people who are qualified and professionally trained to provide such care for family and the patient they are working for.
Of course, you can work along with them to make the care services more effective. However, everything should be done under the close supervision of a qualified physician and listening to his or her suggestions. But first you will need to become a qualified home care giver for that matter.
If you want to become a qualified home care provider and work in one of the home health care agencies near me you will have to undergo proper training and certification courses. If you do not know where to start, then this is the right place you are in. After reading this article you will know what exactly is the process to take such training, availability and pay scale for travel nurses and healthcare workers across cities and states, and be eligible to provider such care to the seniors at home.
The initial process
In order to qualify, you will need to pass a test. There is a specific process to follow to go through this test.
- You will get a print form in which you will have to record your answers in the test answer section. Each of these questions has optional answers.
- After completing your answers, complete the registration information and course evaluation. And then submit the test.
Mail the completed form to the given address along with the requisite registration fee. On receipt of your application, your certificate will be mailed to you after some time, which is usually between 4 and 6 weeks. However, some institutions may provide faster service if you include a fax number. Sometimes, institutions fax the certificate within 2 business days after receiving your enrollment form.
After you receive the certificate you will earn contact hours as well as an answer key sheet to review your results. In most of the cases, there is no minimum passing grade for such tests.
The final step
When you receive your test results, you should send at two and preferably more tests in any nursing journal. You will earn more contact hours if you continue nursing education activity. There are several accredited providers for such continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Typically, when you get such education from an accredited provider, the certificate you will receive will be valid in all states.
However, you must know at this point that the accreditation by ANCC will refer only to your continuing nursing educational activities but not imply Commission on Accreditation endorsement or approval of any commercial product.
The purpose and objective of learning
The general purpose of the education is to provide you with information about different things such as:
- The current techniques and guidelines for treating wounds and managing the nursing bags
- The strategies to prevent and control infection and the transfer of microorganisms through their use.
According to a study conducted the percentage of a nursing bag containing human pathogens in it that are harmful can range anywhere from 56 to 84%. It is for this reason that the home care giver should clean and decontaminate their bag at least tice a week, if not every day.
The cleaning process to follow
The first process for preventing infections of and from the wound involves cleaning the nursing bag. The recommended materials for cleaning the surface of the nursing bags are:
- Nylon
- Cotton
- Canvas and
- Vinyl.
If you are using an “in-use” sharps container, you must make sure that you empty it when it is three quarters full. You should never carry the bag by hand and store it in the outside compartment of the bag. You must also make sure that you place it inside the bag till the time it is disinfected first.
There are a few reusable items that you should use for home care in your nursing bag. These items include:
- Bandage scissors
- Disinfectant wipes
- Face masks and
- Paper drying materials.
These items can also get infected and therefore you should be careful about it and keep these items clean and disinfected before you use it every time. Research also says that the chances of these items getting contaminated with human pathogens can be anywhere from 43.7 to 71.8%.
Cleaning the stethoscope
When you provide to a patient who is suffering from a Clostridium difficile infection, just like any other professional home care giver you should always use a freshly disinfected stethoscope for every visit.
The process to follow to prevent infection from spreading and cleaning your stethoscope involves:
- Leaving a particular stethoscope in the home to use on only that patient
- Using a stethoscope cover and disposing it of at the end of your visit and
- Soaking the stethoscope in bleach after use in the home of the patient.
Though this may seem a bit more cumbersome this little effort will not only ensure a better health and high quality of life for the patient but will also make you a more reliable and reputable nurse.
Creating a surface barrier
The last step to prevent and control infection of the wound is to create a surface barrier by the home care giver. This barrier must be created while setting the bag down on any surface in the home of the patient.
- You should take care of the surface while sitting on it
- While transferring the rolling bag from one surface or the floor to another surface and
- While placing a nursing bag on the lap of the patient.
The best and most appropriate surface barrier that you can use is a disposable under pad or a newspaper. You can also use several paper towels if you do not find a thick bath towel for that purpose.
All these are the professional ways in which a home care nurse prevents and control infections and you should do it as well to provide best home or hospice care services to the ailing seniors.
