Infection - Healthcare Infection

Question 1

What are healthcare infections?

Answer 1

Infections arising as a consequence of providing healthcare. In hospital patients, it must have been neither present nor incubating at time of admission (at least 48 hours after admission).

Question 2

Give some reasons why healthcare infections are important

Answer 2

• frequent (8% of in-patients)
• impact on health (prolonged length of stay in hospital)
• impact on healthcare organisations (very expensive)
• preventable

Question 3

Give some examples of viruses often caught as a healthcare infection

Answer 3

• blood-borne viruses (hep B, C, HIV)
• norovirus
• influenza
• chickenpox

Question 4

Give some examples of bacteria that can often cause a healthcare infection

Answer 4

• staph aureus
• C difficile
• E coli
• pseudomonas aeruginosa
• mycobacterium tuberculosis

Question 5

Give some examples of fungal healthcare infections

Answer 5

• candida albicans

- aspergillus species

Question 6

Give some examples of parasitic healthcare infections

Answer 6

Malaria (very rare though)

Question 7

Give some patient factors that can make it easier for them to acquire an infection

Answer 7

• very old/young
• obesity/malnourished
• diabetes
• cancer
• immunosuppressed
• smoker
• surgical patient
• emergency admission

Question 8

What are the ‘four P’s’ of infection control?

Answer 8

• patient (their varying factors and interactions)
• pathogen (virulence factors, ecological interactions etc.)
• practice (organisation and leadership, activities of healthcare workers)
• place (environment of patient)

Question 9

Give some examples of general patient interventions to help prevent infection

Answer 9

• optimise patients condition (smoking, nutrition, diabetes)
• antimicrobial prophylaxis
• skin preparation
• hand hygiene

Question 10

Give some examples of specific patient interventions to help prevent infection

Answer 10

• MRSA screens
• mupirocin nasal ointment
• disinfectant body wash

Question 11

How can patient to patient transmission be prevented using physical barriers?

Answer 11

• isolation of infected patients

- protection of susceptible patients

Question 12

Give some examples of healthcare worker interventions to prevent spread of infection

Answer 12

• healthcare workers must be disease free and vaccinated
• good clinical techniques must be used
• hand hygiene
• PPE
• antimicrobial prescribing

Question 13

Give some examples of environmental interventions to prevent infection

Answer 13

• built environment (ensure has good layout, toilets and wash hand basins)
• cleaning (disinfectants, steam cleaning, hydrogen peroxide vapour)
• medical interventions (single use equipment, sterilisation, decontamination)
• kitchen and food facilities
• positive/negative pressure rooms for immunosuppressed patients