4 out of 5 nurses believe the public are poorly educated on infection prevention
Karen Wares who works in Aberdeen says many people don't know the difference between products which 'clean' and those that 'disinfect'
Last updated 26th Oct 2020
A new survey which spoke to 500 NHS nurses has found the majority of them feel the general public are poorly educated on infection prevention.
The study was undertaken by GAMA healthcare.
80% believed this, with every single person surveyed saying they've made changes to cleaning routines at home due to the pandemic.
Karen Wares is a nurse who specalises in infection prevention:
She said:
"Studies out recently have actually shown the virus can actually live on surfaces for up to 28 days, which can be quite alarming, we aren't trying to scare but just trying to be more realistic."
She said there are often misconceptions when it comes to home cleaning, saying:
"If you are cleaning and you are using a detergent wipe that's just getting rid of organic matters such as dirt and dust. When you are actually disinfecting, that's you killing the germs."
"I've been out in public and seen people cleaning with baby wipes, they aren't for disinfecting, it's there to clean a baby's bum."
She highlighted there are many two in one products which will do both.
Professor Val Edwards-Jones said:
"The study looked at the infection prevention that took place in a hospital, in comparison to what happens at home."
"Over 80-per-cent of nurses felt like in the home, cleaning surfaces and other aspects of cleaning were being undertaken."
"They saw the home as a potential concern."
"They also felt that education of people in the home was very poor."