11: Hospital Acquired Disease & Control Flashcards
What are Hospital Acquired Infections also known as?
Nosocomial Infections
What are the 2 types of Nosocomial Infections?
- Exogenous
- Endogenous (self infection)
What are the sources of an Exogenous Nosocomial Infection? (2 things)
- Another person in the hospital (cross infection)
- Contaminated equipment / building
What is the source of an Endogenous Nosocomial Infection?
The infecting organ is derived from the patients own skin / GI / respiratory flora
What are the most common HAI’s?
- Surgical Wound Infection
- Bacteraemia
- Respiratory Tract Infection
- Urinary Tract Infection
1st two to do with blood, 2nd two to do with Term 3
What are noroviruses?
Group of non-enveloped, single stranded RNA viruses
What do noroviruses cause?
Acute gastroenteritis –> dehydration
What are the properties of noroviruses? (2 things)
- Highly contagious
- Self-limiting
How are noroviruses spread? (3 things)
- Close personal contact
- Fecal-oral route
- Contaminated surface / object
What are the clinical presentations of noroviruses? (4 things)
- Fever
- Nausea
- Cough
- Forceful vomiting
1st two is head, 2nd two is mouth
Where are noroviruses replicated in the body?
Small intestines
What is the management for noroviruses?
They are self-limiting
What are some precautions you can take with noroviruses? (2 things)
- Hand-washing
- Using disinfectant
What is Pseudomonas?
Grame -ve rod bacteria
Poseidon is a negative male instagram model (-ve and has da big rod)
What are the clinical presentations of Pseudomonas?
- Pain + red eyes
- Itchy ears
- Skin rashes
- Green pus discharge (from skin)
- Pneumonia
- Joint stiffness
Poseidon has red eyes and scratched ears, rashed up chest and green ooze from his arm skin, and his knees are all stiff

What is the management of Pseudomonas?
Abx
What are the factors influencing infection? (6 things)
- Invasive Treatment / Surgery
- Disease Treatment
- Age
- Wounds (surgical) & Trauma (burns / stabs)
- General Health Status
- Underlying Disease
I DAWG U
What factors of Disease Treatment influence infections? (2 things)
- Cytotoxic drugs
- Steroids
What factor of YOUNG age influences infections?
Very young infants have an immature immune system
What factor of OLD age influences infections? (3 things)
- May have predisposing diseases
- Are immobile
- Have an impaired blood supply
What factors of General Health Status influence infections? (2 things)
- Weight
- Smoking status
What underlying diseases may influence infections? (3 things)
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Immunosuppression
How can infections be controlled and prevented in a healthcare environment? (8 things)
- Close ward doors
- Provide patients with info and control measures
- Continuous monitoring
- Make healthworkers aware
- Hand hygeine
- PPE (Personal Protection Equipment)
- Equipment (use single-paient use equipment / decontaminate all others immediately after use)
- Clean environment (remove exposed food / decontaminate surfaces)
Visualise it by walking into a room through the doors and seeing the patients then the doctors and their equipment and then the surfaces
What does PPE involve?
- Gloves and apron
- Face protection with masks if there is a risk of droplets / aerosols
What diseases require special Infection Control? (7 diseases)
- Staphylococcus aureus
- MRSA
- Clostridium difficile
- TB
- Norovirus
- Influenza
- Hepatitis / HIV