Hygiene Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hygiene - Essay Example Hygiene simply refers to a science that deals with the preservation of health. Hygiene can also be identified as a set of practices that are associated with, or help in the preservation of health. Hygiene recommendations and requirements will vary under different situations both in society and in the medical field. This is because the perception of hygiene among different ethnic groups or cultures may vary and also the hygiene recommendations in a particular field of medicine may vary from those in a different field. The main reason why hygiene is emphasized on in the medical field is because it reduces the risk of spreading diseases. It controls the multiplication and spread of organisms that cause diseases in everyday life settings. There are different types of hygiene that are essential in the preservation of health, for example, hand hygiene. This is the most common societal form of hygiene. It is also referred to as hand washing and health experts recommend the washing of hands with a hand sanitizer such as soap. Hand hygiene is essential in preventing the spread of diseases in everyday life because the hands come in to contact with many things, such as unclean surfaces, and for this reason, it so happens that hands are more prone to transferring bacteria that will cause diseases. Other forms of hygiene may include food hygiene, laundry hygiene, and personal hygiene among many others. In the field of medicine, hygiene is summed up in to medical hygiene. This refers to the practices which regulate the administration of medicine and medical care. The main agenda of medical hygiene is to minimize the spread of diseases or even to prevent diseases from spreading. For example, if there is a patient who has been diagnosed or is showing symptoms of a particular infectious disease, then the prudent medical hygiene procedure that should be followed is isolation. The medical term used for isolation is quarantine. Hand hygiene is also pertinent to medical hygiene. Me dical practitioners are required to wash their hands before handling a patient. This requirement is emphasized more when one is about to enter an operating room but the role that hand hygiene plays in the general hospital or health care setting cannot be overlooked because some bacteria that spread diseases are easily transmittable. In the 20th century, an outbreak of a number of highly infectious and deadly diseases was experienced. One such disease was Ebola. The rate of transmission of these viruses necessitated the tightening of medical hygiene and since then, such practices as proper disposal of medical waste is a key element in medical hygiene. The Role of Hygiene in Adult Nursing Adult nursing is the field of nursing which deals with and cares for adult patients who are suffering from acute and long term illnesses and diseases (Baughan & Smith, 2009). An adult nurse’s primary duty is to support the patient in their recovery process. This kind of support is offered by t he use of care plans, and by carrying out care procedures and assessment. Apart from this, the adult nurse should educate the patient on how they can promote good health. This is where hygiene comes in. Hygiene is important in adult nursing and any other kinds of medical practice because it also helps the patient to recover from the diseases or illnesses that they are suffering from (Bullock, Clark & Marlone, 2012, p. 344). It is evident that adults, especially those who are well advanced in age, have immune systems and bodies which are more prone to diseases. This is because the immune system weakens gradually as the body itself ages. When an adult patient is infected by disease causing bacteria, they are