Tennessee Yearbook 2020

TNA VIRTUAL CONFERENCE | 2020: YEAR OF THE NURSE
Handwashing Project
Chloe Flora (Student Presenter)
Viktoriya Marushka (Student Nurse Co-Presenter)
Problem Addressed:
Living in the times of COVID-19, handwashing has been broadcasted as a paramount piece to prevent
pathogenesis of infection and achievement of community health. It is hypothesized by the “Health Belief
Model’’ that individuals are likely to be involved in healthy behavior to the extent that the person is able to
successfully target 1) barriers, 2) benefits, 3) self-efficacy, and 4) threat. Although, while most individuals
have begun to implement handwashing routinely, it has been found that there is a substantial need for
further education. This is evidenced by a recent study at Michigan State University, revealing that only five
percent of the population have proper handwashing technique. Due to the current pandemic, the public is
acutely attentive to the subject of hand washing. As future healthcare workers, we are uniquely positioned
to expand knowledge concerning vital handwashing education as developed by the “Health Belief Model.”
Objectives:
This presentation’s objective is to communicate the impact that beginning nursing students can have in
actively teaching proper handwashing during the current COVID-19 pandemic. When tasked with teaching
others how to hand wash, university nursing students can set an example and reach people within their
sphere of influence, far reaching the university campus.
Methods/Procedures:
As an assignment for Freshmen in NURS-102 (Clinical Lab Seminar) and Juniors in NURS-302
(Introduction to Leadership) Students were asked to teach proper handwashing to five or more people that
they were quarantined with or near through work, facetime, zoom, etc. Data was collected by surveying
these students of the location of their outreach, alongside photo evidence. Through this “Handwashing
Project,” Lee University nursing students were able to educate peers, family members, and coworkers of a
fundamental practice to improve their health and the people’s around them
Findings:
The outbreak of COVID-19 has made it difficult to detect the signs and symptoms of infection and to
implement timely intervention during the very early stage of infection because the duration ranges from 1-2
days before and 7-10 days after the onset of symptoms. Thus, finding and isolating symptomatic patients
may not be sufficient to contain this epidemic. Therefore, it is important to take personal precautions, such
as hand washing, to achieve source control and stop transmission. Handwashing is the most successful
way of preventing the spread of infectious illnesses because effective hand washing breaks the chain of
infection to ultimately reduce the spread of infection and decrease illness rates within the population. A
study published in April 2016 in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology found that washing hands for
even just forty-two seconds can remove up to 67% of the bacteria on hands. Due to hand washing being
a foundational skill for nursing students, they have the capability to prevent the spread of infection by
teaching others how to effectively hand wash. Although the ‘Handwashing Project’s purpose was not to
research the disinfection rates of our teaching, it allows us to discuss how many people we influenced and
taught, with emphasis on how they are located in many places, of all ages and occupations. To keep in mind,
Lee University nursing students were able to reach beyond their families, to friends and coworkers during
quarantine. Overall, we found that nursing students from Cleveland, TN can impact a much larger area with
a simple yet powerful skill, one that can save lives worldwide. We believe this project stems as a basis for
what nursing students across the world can accomplish, even early on in their programs.
51