BAMS Patient Safety Flashcards
What colour waste stream for amalgam waste?
Red
Three main categories of waste generated as a result of health and social care activities?
Special (or hazardous) waste
Domestic waste
Healthcare (including clinical) waste
Which waste stream for flowers and styrofoam coffee cups?
Black or clear bag
What technique is used for tying waste bags at the neck before uplift, and why?
Swan neck tie
To prevent leaking and make it easy to carry from the top
What types of waste must be labelled with a point of origin?
Special (hazardous) waste
Healthcare (including clinical) waste
Orange waste bag has to have what information included on the label?
Ward or department
Care area name
Date waste sealed
Examples of healthcare (including clinical) waste
Soiled dressings
Sharps
Swabs
Which waste bag for PPE used in a clinical setting?
Orange
If you are carrying a waste bag and it bursts in the corridor what is the first thing you should do?
Cordon off the area
Which blood borne virus can you be vaccinated against to help reduce the risk of you getting the virus through an occupational exposure?
Hepatitis B
A significant occupational exposure
When a staff member’s broken skin or mucous membranes come into contact with blood or body fluids from someone who has a BBV
Aerosol
Collection of solid or liquid particles of any size suspended in a gas
Dominant mode of transmission for covid 19
Aerosol inhalation
Variant of concern
Changes within a virus structure that have a clinical or public health significance that affects one or more of
Transmissibility
Virulence
Vaccine effectiveness
Diagnostic testing
Virulence
Severity of disease caused by a virus
Superspreader
Individual associated with a higher than average amount of infectious material, in exhaled breath or skim squames
Why are <5 micron particles of particular interest in virology?
There are more likely to be airborne, and they are the size of particles that can get right down into the alveoli
10 SICP must dos to prevent infection
Patient placement/assessment for infection risk
Hand hygiene
Respiratory and cough hygiene
Personal protective equipment
Safe management of care equipment
Safe management of care environment
Safe management of linen
Safe management of blood and body fluid spillages
Safe disposal of waste (including sharps)
Occupational safety - prevention and exposure management (including sharps)
Patient placement SICP
Patients must be promptly assessed for infection risk on arrival at the care area or if possible, before.
Isolation for those who present a particular cross-infection risk
When to carry out hand hygiene?
5 moments
Before touching a patient
Before a procedure
After a procedure or body fluid exposure risk
After touching a patient
After touching a patient’s surroundings
In healthcare settings, maintain CO2 concentrations below..
800ppm (typically 10-15 l/s/person)
Box for transport to LDU requirements
Rigid sides
Leak proof
Tight fitting lid
Colour coded
Where should a box of used instruments be brought to?
An agreed set down area within the LDU, which might be the same as the unload area
What PPE and why is worn in the LDU?
Gloves to protect from substances adhering to hands
Apron to prevent ourselves/our clothes becoming contaminated
A face shield or visor to protect face and eyes from splashes
(Can also wear a mask to protect from aerosols)
What additional PPE is worn for manual washing and why?
Heavy duty rubber gloves as they protect a bit more from sharps injuries
When should handwashing be carried out in the LDU?
When entering and leaving the unit
Between clean and dirty processes
What is SOP in an LDU?
Standard Operating Procedures
Allow us to make our activities reproducible and consistent. Easy for other members of staff to follow.
Used for example for the daily checks.
First step of decontamination process after transporting instruments and PPE/hand hygiene)
Washer disinfector
Daily checks must be done before processing instruments
We must follow any directions for loading the machine
Directions for proper loading of the washer disinfector
No overlapping, hinges open, disassemble assemblies, do not overload
What is done following washer disinfector in the LDU?
Inspection of processed instrumentation
We use an illuminated magnifier to identify any biological matter that might still be present
If there is any contamination on the surface of the instrument at all they must be further processed
Most important parts of instrumentation to inspect following washer-disinfector
Hinges, joints, textured or threaded surfaces
What is done if biological matter is still present on instruments after washer-disinfector?
Manual cleaning and ultrasonic bath
How is manual cleaning done?
Long handled, soft bristled, non metallic brush is used for physical scrubbing
Why is manual cleaning useful?
Physical scrubbing with the recommended brush can exert more forces than the jets of water within the WD chamber
What is the recommended brush for manual cleaning?
Long handled, soft bristled, non metallic brush
What is done after manual cleaning and ultrasonic bath?
Instruments must go back through the washer-disinfector
(the reason for this is the high temperatures and contact achieved during the disinfection part of the automated cycle).
What do we reinforce the washer disinfector process with if necessary? Why is this?
Manual cleaning and ultrasonic processes as it is essential that all biological matter/proteins/bodily fluids are removed entirely
What % of contamination is removed once the washer disinfector stage is completed?
95%
What temperatures are reached in the washer-disinfector, and for how long?
90-95 degrees celsius, for a minimum stage hold time of one minute, allowing the minimum contact rate of 12 seconds
Why is it necessary to sterilise after washer disinfector?
There are still pathogens that can survive the 90-95 degrees held for a minimum of 1 minute in the WD, and we need to sterilise all of our instrumentation through a piece of equipment that has the capability to achieve all of the recognised standards and set points, internationally agreed, to constitute sufficient sterilisation
What are the guidance documents we should follow for decontamination?
Scottish Health Technical Memorandum
These direct us to the BS EN standards
When purchasing equipment, what must it be in compliance with?
Medical device regulation MDR