6. Healthcare Infections Flashcards
What are healthcare infections?
Infections arising as a consequence of providing healthcare. Also includes infections in hospital visitors and healthcare workers
For an infection in a hospital patient to be a healthcare infection, how long after admission must the onset be?
48 hours - not present or incubating at time of admission
What is used to work out how much to spend on prevention of healthcare infections?
The financial cost of healthcare infections
At what 3 points in the infection model can a healthcare infection be prevented?
Infection - Prevent patient coming into contact with pathogen
Prevention - Prevent pathogen from infecting patient once in contact
Intervention - Prevent transmission to other patients once infected
Give an example of a healthcare infection pathogen for each group of pathogen (virus, bacteria, fungi, parasite)
Virus - blood borne eg hepatitis B, HIV
Bacteria - MRSA, Cdiff
Fungi - Candida albicans
Parasites - malaria
Why does being a smoker increase the patients risk of infection?
Promotes lung infections and wound infections - low O2 circulation means wound takes longer to heal
Why can diabetes increase a patients risk of contracting a healthcare infection?
High blood sugar levels can weaken immune system defences and lead to atherosclerosis in arteries, so reduced blood flow to extremities leads to slower wound healing
Why does being malnourished increase a patients risk of developing a healthcare infection?
Skin not very thick to suture together, prone to breaking down
What are the 4 P’s of infection prevention and control? Give an example of something that effects each
Patient - risk factors, interactions
Pathogen - virulence factors, ecological interactions
Practice - activities of healthcare workers, policies, organisational structure, political initiatives, leadership
Place - healthcare environment
Give one general way and one specific way of preventing the patient themself from contracting an infection
General - antimicrobial prophylaxis (single dose right before surgery)
Specific - MRSA screen
Give an example of a physical barrier to halt patient to patient transmission of infection
Isolation of infected patient
Give two ways in which healthcare workers can try to prevent spreading to infection from themselves to patients
Vaccination
Hand hygiene
Give 5 environmental interventions that can be used to prevent a patient contracting a healthcare infection
Plastic furniture and furnishings - easy to clean
Cleaning of environment eg disinfectants
Sterilisation of medical equipment
Good food hygiene practice
Positive/negative pressure rooms when infectious patients are isolated
Give 6 signs/symptoms/factors that should flag up a patient to you as being infectious
Abroad Blood borne infections Colonised Diarrhoea/vomiting Expectorating (coughing up sputum) Funny looking rash
What should you do if you have identified and infectious patient (I-five)?
Isolate
Investigate
Inform
Initiate
