EXCLUSIVE: New 'tool-kit' for NI nurses in bid to tackle hospital superbugs
New interactive guide being piloted at Southern Trust
Last updated 4th Oct 2018
A toolkit for nurses, aimed at preventing the spread of hospital infections has been launched in the southern trust, ahead of the winter months.
The interactive guide forms part of a new three year strategy, backed by Northern Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride.
The desktop tool aims to identify treatment options for patients who may have contagious viruses and helps healthcare workers identify best practice to prevent germs spreading.
Interim Director of Nursing Heather Trouton said it is a user friendly guide:
"When somebody comes into our hospital with an infection...the nurse can just click on a button and it will bring up all the clinical guidelines relating to that particular infection.
"It will also give very clear guidance as to treatment, isolation and what they should do for that patient."
The ÂŁ1 million cash boost to help reduce healthcare infections will also see other measures put in place.
Heather told us the toolkit is one of the most practical:
"Everyone knows about Norovirus, so if I click on the...Norovirus tab, it will bring up exactly what I should do with that patient, it will tell me how that disease is spread.
"It tells me here that it's about good hand washing, we would need to isolate that patient in a single room and preferably with an en suite toilet."
The Trust is also urging visitors to hospitals to ensure they wash their hands and take steps to ensure patient safety.
Heather said infection prevention control is everybody's responsibility:
"When they do come to visit, it really is important that they wash their hands, use the gels provided in the wards, try to plan their visiting so they're not all coming at the same time because bugs can permeate through more crowded areas."
Plans also include increasing the number of isolation facilities across the trust and recruiting new specialist staff and microbiologists.
The toolkit is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and its hoped it can be rolled out across all the trusts in future.