Cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation Flashcards
How can we keep patients safe?
- Infection policy for different organisms - details mode of transmission etc and must be reviewed frequently
- Public awareness about washing hands etc
- Wash hands
- Sterilise
- PPE
- Sterilize touch-points
- MRSA swab
- Hand gel
- Autoclave - sterilize with heat and pressure
When should you be cleaning hands?
Before patient contact Before clean/aseptic procedure After bodily fluid exposure risk After patient contact After contact with patient surroundings
How do bacteria divide?
Binary fission
What do biofilms do?
Protect bacteria against desiccation and chemical attack
Examples of bacterial spores
Clostridium and bacillus spp
Why are spores beneficial ?
Survive adverse conditions and can survive if the bacterium itself dies
What are spores?
- Allow bacteria to exist in dormant state
- Complex, multi-layered coat that is resistant to heat, drying, alcohol and UV
- Bacteria are able to return to a vegetative state when conditions are favorable
Characteristics of a virus
- Capsid: made of nucleic acid and protein coat
- Some viruses have a lipid envelope that originates from the host cell
Is the lipid coat strong?
No, fragile and susceptible to heat, drying and chemicals
Are non-enveloped viruses tougher than enveloped ones?
Yes
What are dirty hands and how should they be cleaned?
Exposure to bodily fluids, using soap and water
What are clean hands and how should they be cleaned?
Examining patients etc, using alcohol hand gel
What is sterile equipment?
Introduced into sterile body area or into break in body membrane, e.g. gloves/cannula
What is clean equipment?
Not coming into close contact with mucus membrane or sterile body areas, e.g. ear scope, stethoscope
What is disinfected equipment?
Destroys harmful pathogens on surfaces, e.g. endoscope
