A10 - infection prevention and control in health settings

Question 1

what are the techniques for infection control?

Answer 1

use of PPE
use of cleaning and disinfecting agents
effective hand washing techniques
good personal hygiene and uniform requirements
safe disposal of sharps

Question 2

why is it important to stop the spread of infection?

Answer 2

prevent harm caused to both individuals and healthcare workers

Question 3

what is the importance of good hand washing/personal hygiene?

Answer 3

help control the spread of disease and infection and as a result, illness
reduce the risk of infection and illness being passed on via cross contamination
legal requirements (health and safety at work act 1974)

Question 4

how to practice good hand hygiene?

Answer 4

follow workplace guidelines

Question 5

how to practice good personal hygiene?

Answer 5

washing body and hair regularly
wearing clean uniform
cleaning teeth
covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing
maintaining short, neat, clean nails

Question 6

what are the scientific principles of cleaning, disinfecting, sterilisation and decontamination?

Answer 6

cleaning = reduces microorganisms that are visible
disinfecting = reduce microorganisms to a safe level
sterilising = food, medicine, surgical instruments
decontamination = combination of processes such as cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising that removes or destroys contaminants so that infectious agents cannot cause infection