A10: Infection prevention and control in health specific settings. Flashcards
Give some techniques for infection control
Frequent hand washing with warm water and soap.
Hands can pass on infection and pick up and transfer germs from one place to another.
Give some uses of PPE.
Protects workers when carrying out specific tasks that could include meeting infectious materials.
PPE should be worn if their is a risk of coming into conduct with bodily fluids.
Contact with an open wound or cut
Handling harmful substances.
What is the use of cleaning and disinfecting agents?
Cleaning will remove contamination and many microorganisms using detergent to clean and then disinfection takes place.
When using cleaning or disinfecting agents, what should be ensured?
Following the instructions of use for dilution
Wear PPE
Ensure adequate ventilation
Not adding anything to the disinfectant
Discard solution after use
Not top up solutions of disinfection with anything.
What are the five moments of hand hygiene?
- Before patient contact
- Before a clean/aseptic procedure
- After body fluid exposure risk
- After patient contact
Why is hand hygiene so important?
It prevents control of disease, infection as a result of illness and removes bacteria picked up on the hands.
How can cross infection occur?
Healthcare workers clothes
Unwashed hands
Droplets of infection
Inadequately sterilised equipment.
What was introduced to ensure good hand hygiene?
Ayliffe hand washing techniques.
What should healthcare workers do to prevent spread of infection?
Cover cuts with waterproof dressings to prevent harmful bacteria
Keep their arms bare below the elbow
Remove wrist or hand jewellery
Keep nails short and clean
Not wear nail polish
Avoid acrylic/artificial nails that can harbour micro-organisms.
Give the hand washing techniques
- Wet hands with water
- Apply enough soap to cover hand surfaces
- Rub hands palm to palm
- Right palm over the back of the other hand with interlaced fingers and vice versa
- Palm to palm fingers interlaced
- Back of fingers opposing palms with fingers interlaced
- Rotational rubbing of left thumb clasped in right palm and vice versa
- Rotational rubbing, backwards and forwards with clasped fingers of right hand in left palm and vice versa
- Rinse hands with water
- Dry thoroughly with towel
- Use elbow to turn off tap.
How can good hygiene be practiced?
Washing body and hair regularly to prevent build-up of dirt and sweat to prevent smell.
Wearing clean uniform
Cleaning teeth means healthy teeth and less chance of bad breath
Covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing
Maintaining short, neat and clean nails.
Sharps bin with purple lid
Sharps used to administer cytotoxic drugs e.g cancer treatments.
Red clinical waste bin
Body parts, organs, blood bags and blood preserves
Sharps bin with yellow lid
Sharps and syringe bodies with residual medicinal products
Yellow waste bags
Highly infectious waste plus anatomical waste
Blue clinical waste bin
Waste medicines, out-of-date medicines
Orange plastic bags
General infectious waste, soiled dressings and autoclaved lab waste
Sharps bin with orange lid
Sharps not contaminated with medicinal products
Tiger/yellow and black striped bags
Offensive/hygiene waste which is not infectious
Black plastic bag
General waste such as packaging, plastic containers, tissues, flowers, sandwich wrappings.
How does cleaning reduce infection?
Reduces presences of microorganisms on surfaces and instruments
How does disinfecting help with infection?
It is used to reduce the number of microorganisms on surfaces to a level that is considered safe
What are red cleaning products used for?
Bathrooms, washrooms, showers, toilets, basins and bathroom floors
What are blue cleaning products used for?
General areas including wards, departments and offices
What are green cleaning products used for?
Catering departments
What are yellow cleaning products used for?
Isolation areas
How can high pressure get rid of bacteria?
The moist heat works by denaturing the proteins that make up bacteria and viruses making them unable to cause infection.
What other methods of sterilisation are used?
Application of chemicals
Applications of high pressure
Applications of heat
Application of irradiation and filtration
Give the meaning of the word antimicrobial
Something that kills micro-organisms and stops their growth.
What is antimicrobial resistance?
It occurs when bacteria develops the ability to survive exposure to antibiotics that were designed to kill them.
What has overuse of antibiotics led to?
Super bugs
What is MRSA resistant to?
Methicillin
What programme has been introduced to reduce antimicrobial resistance?
Antimicrobial stewardship coordinated program in the healthcare sector to promote appropriate use of antimicrobial.
What have NICE alongside PHE developed to assist with antimicrobial resistance?
A clinical syndrome-specific guidance and advice that offers evidence-based antimicrobial prescribing information to help slow development of antimicrobial resistance.
Give the meaning of antimicrobial stewardship
Effort to measure and improve how antibiotics are prescribed by clinicians and used by patients.
