Hospital discharge is what every patient and their family is looking forward to. It often brings a big relief to all. Taking the patient home is happiness, but it also brings along with it some challenges, like the risk of infections. These infections may be caused by visitors, not maintaining the hygiene of the patient and the surrounding area where the patient will be recovering, etc. In Navi Mumbai, other factors such as humid weather, compact housing, shared living spaces, and limited caregiver training can unintentionally lead to infection control lapses. Knowing about these common mistakes can help families prevent avoidable complications and readmissions.
Infection Control Mistakes
1. Hand Hygiene mistakes
Family members do not always wash their hands before touching the patient or wear disposable gloves. This increases the risk of infections in the patient because hands are the most common carriers of bacteria and viruses. Use a sanitiser or wash hands with soap to disinfect the palms before and after patient care. Use disposable gloves while changing a diaper, dressing a wound, or handling catheter like devices.
2. Delaying the changing of the diaper
Delaying diaper change is one of the major causes of skin infection, skin rashes, Urinary tract infections, and bed sores. To avoid these infections, you need to check diapers every 3–4 hours. If you observe soiling of the diaper, change it immediately.
3. Improper wound and dressing Care
To heal the wound faster and prevent it from getting infected, dress the wound at regular intervals. Never reuse dressings, and always wash your hands and wear disposable gloves while doing wound care. Open wounds become direct entry points for infection. It is advisable to use sterile wound dressing materials.
4. Neglecting repositioning and pressure area checks
For bedridden patients, the risk of developing bed sores and skin infections is very real. The patient’s position needs to be changed every two hours to prevent infections and bed sores. Pressure sores easily become infected. Inspect pressure points daily. A disinfectant dusting powder can also be used.
5. Improper handling of the catheter and tube
Never disconnect tubes unnecessarily or place urine bags on the bed or floor. Clean the insertion sites daily and keep urine bags below bladder level. This will minimize risk of urinary and bloodstream infections.
6. Overcrowding the Patient’s room with visitors
It is a big mistake to allow many visitors or family members into the patient’s room. This will increase the exposure of the patient to airborne infections. As few visitors as possible should be allowed in the patient’s room. Keep the room well ventilated.
7. Skipping daily disinfection of frequently touched surfaces
Germs survive on surfaces for hours to days. Always disinfect bed rails, tables, switches, and phones daily to prevent infections.
8. Ignoring early signs of infection
Mild fever, redness, discomfort, Increased pain or swelling, redness or discharge from wounds, sudden confusion or weakness are early signs of infection. If neglected, they can lead to small infections that can rapidly worsen. Therefore, it is advisable to seek medical guidance at the first warning signs of infection.
9. Pets
Never allow pets near the patient. There is a possibility of the patient catching an infection. Household pets can be carriers of infection transmissible to humans. High-risk patients are children, pregnant women, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. Transmission can be from direct or indirect contact with the infected animal.
Closing Thoughts
Addressing hand hygiene lapses, diaper delays, wound care errors, repositioning neglect, catheter mishandling, visitor overcrowding, surface cleaning skips, early sign ignorance, and pet exposure ensures robust infection prevention after hospital discharge. Consistent vigilance in home nursing routines safeguards recovery in humid Mumbai and Navi Mumbai homes.