Exam 8 Concepts of Sterility Flashcards
Objects and surfaces in the healthcare environment are disinfected promoted through:
Maintaining a clean environment, maintaining clean hands, following Center for disease control (CDC) guidelines.
Preventing infection: implementing medical asepsis
“A state of cleanliness that decreases the potential for the spread of infections”
Goal of Medical Asepsis
Keep all public and client areas within the facility clean and free from dust, debris, and contamination.
inhibits Microbial growth.
Ways to promote medical asepsis
Keep the client area as clean and free of clutter as possible
Do not stock client rooms with unnecessary equipment
Do not return linen to the Linen cart
Consider supplies brought into a clients room contaminated
Immediately clean spilled liquids, dirty surfaces, and contaminated areas
Wash your hands/use hand sanitizer
Wear gloves
Are you suppose to lay your items on patient bed?
NO
Difference between medical asepsis and sterility?
Medical asepsis is clean, usually with a disinfectant.
Sterile item has been cleaned with a disinfectant and exposed to heat or chemical rendering it free of any micro organisms.
Disinfection
Removes pathogens by physical or chemical means, including steam, gas, chemical and ultraviolet light.
Reduces microbial populations.
Does not guarantee that all pathogens are eliminated.
Certain viruses and other pathogenic microbes can remain.
The elimination of all micro organisms (except prions) in or on an object is call?
Sterilization
When is sterilization use?
When absolute purity of an object or surface is critical.
Prions are
The protein particles that cause severe neurological degeneration in animals and humans (an infectious agent)
What may be sterile?
In animate objects such as: gauze, surgical equipment, towels, drapes,and gloves, etc.
What will always have pathogens in and on their bodies?
Humans
What does sterile mean?
Without life
If an object is sterile it contains no life and therefore no infectious organisms.
Purpose of sterility
To create an environment that is free from live bacteria or other micro organisms.
To prevent infection
Principles of surgical asepsis
Creation of a sterile environment and use of sterile equipment
Prevent the patient from coming in contact with Any microorganisms.
All items used with in a sterile field must be sterile.
More complex than medical asepsis and not required for use with all clients.
A sterile barrier permeated by moisture must be considered contaminated.
Once a sterile packet is open the edges are considered unsterile (contaminated)
Once gown is put on what part is sterile?
The front from chest to waist or table level, sleeves from 2 inches above elbows to ends of fingertips.
What area of a draped table is considered sterile?
Only the top.
If you have questions on an items sterility what do you do?
Don’t use it. It is considered not sterile.
If you have any questions or doubt; you throw it out.
Implementing surgical asepsis includes:
Creation of a sterile environment.
Use sterilized equipment/supplies.
Sterilization of reusable supplies.
Surgical hand scrub, surgical attire.
Sterile gloves, sterile field.
Use sterile technique.
Operating room labor and delivery area and burn units
Procedure areas – cardiac catheterization lab and gastrointestinal endoscopy
Client bedside ( procedures such as central venous catheter insertion,Foley catheter insertion and thoracentesis.
Factors to consider
Positioning of the client Full cooperation of the client Explain the procedure Explain what is expected of the client If client cannot maintain the position required for the procedure, get a helper to hold the client
Create and maintain a sterile field
An area that provides a sterile surface for placement of sterile equipment
Persons with sterile barriers (gowns, gloves) can only come in contact with?
Sterile items/areas
Persons without sterile barriers can only come in contact with?
Unsterile areas/items.
Only the _______________________________ is considered sterile.
Horizontal plane
