A10 - Infection Prevention and Control in Health Specific Settings

Question 1

Give an example of techniques for infection control

Answer 1

• Use of personal protective equipment
• Use of cleaning and disinfecting agents
• Effective hand-washing techniques
• Good personal hygiene and uniform requirements
• Safe disposal of sharps
• Appropriate waste segregation and disposal

Question 2

What is the importance of stopping the spread of infection?

Answer 2

Prevent harm cause to both individual and healthcare workers

Question 3

What is the importance of good hand-washing techniques and personal hygiene?

Answer 3

• Help prevent the control of disease, infection and as a result, illness.
• Reduce the risk of disease, infection and illness being passed from person to person through cross contamination.
• Legal requirements (COSHH, Health and Safety at Work, RIDDOR).

Question 4

How can you practice good hand washing techniques?

Answer 4

• Ayliffe hand washing technique (NICE).
• 5 moments (WHO)
• 12 Point technique (WHO/NHS)

Question 5

How can you practice good person hygiene?

Answer 5

• Washing body and hair regularly
• Wearing clean uniform
• Cleaning teeth
• Covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
• Maintaining short, neat and clean nails

Question 6

Define cleaning

Answer 6

Physically reduces the presence of microorganisms that may be present on surfaces and instruments through the removal of visible foreign material.

Question 7

Define disinfecting

Answer 7

Using a specific chemical disinfecting or by physical disinfection reduces non-visible pathogenic microorganisms by destroying cell wall or infecting with metabolism

Question 8

Define sterilisation

Answer 8

This is the complete elimination of microorganisms

Question 9

Define decontamination

Answer 9

Overarching process used to describe cleaning, disinfecting and sterilisation.

Question 10

What procedures can be used during cleaning?

Answer 10

• Cleaning tools
• Vacuum cleaners
• Cloths and floor scrubbers
• The use of cleaning agents

Question 11

What procedures can be used during disinfecting?

Answer 11

This involves the use of an agent known to destroy pathogenic microorganisms.

Question 12

What procedures can be used during sterilisation?

Answer 12

• Application of chemical
• Application of high pressure
• Application of heat
• Application of irradiation and filtration or a combination of the two

Question 13

What does antimicrobial resistance mean?

Answer 13

The ability of a microorganism to survive exposure to antimicrobial agents

Question 14

What are the leading causes of antimicrobial resistance?

Answer 14

• Over prescribing of antibiotics

- People not finishing a course of antibiotics

Question 15

What are the impacts of antimicrobial resistance?

Answer 15

• Overuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of new strains of microorganisms.
• Increase in superbugs

Question 16

How can we reduce antimicrobial resistance?

Answer 16

Antimicrobial stewardship coordinated program in healthcare sector to promote appropriate use of antimicrobials.