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Preventing infections is important for you, your family and your care providers.
Follow these four easy steps to avoid getting, and spreading infections in the hospital.
- Clean your hands frequently
- Clean your hands with soap and warm water or alcohol based hand rub.
- Clean your hands:
- Before you eat or touch food
- After you use the bathroom
- When your hands are obviously dirty
- Remind your visitors to clean their hands.
- Make sure your care providers clean their hands
- Your care providers come into contact with lots of bacteria and viruses,
if you are not sure that they have cleaned their hands, provide a gentle reminder.
- Cover your mouth and nose
- Many diseases are spread through coughs and sneezes,
cover your mouth and nose to prevent the spread of infection to others.
- Use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose.
Throw away used tissues and then clean your hands.
- If you do not have a tissue, cover your mouth and nose with
the bend of your elbow and then clean your hands.
- Cover and protect all wounds
- Make sure your wounds or surgical sites are clean and protected
- Don’t touch wounds, surgical sites or the coverings as it can promote the growth of bacteria
- If you are sick, avoid close contact
- If you are sick with a communicable disease such as a cold or gastroenteritis,
stay away from other people. Do not go to common areas of the hospital
such as the cafeteria or patient lounges where you may spread the infection to others.
- If your visitors are sick, please ask them not to visit.
- Use antibiotics wisely
- Take prescribed drugs exactly as instructed.
Do not stop taking them without first checking with your physicians.
- Don’t insist that your physician give you antibiotics if you don’t need them.
- Keep your immunizations up to date
- Get the influenza vaccine each and every year.
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