Fundamentals: Infection Prevention and Control Flashcards
Pathogen
Infectious agent
Colonization
Organism that multiplies within a host, but does not cause an infection.
Infectious Disease
Illnesses such as viral meningitis or pneumonia
Communicable Disease
An infectious disease that is transmitted directly from one person to another.
pH
acidity of the environment
Portal of exit and portal of entry
Sites such as blood, mucous membranes, respiratory tract, genitourinary tract, and gastrointestinal tract.
Virulence
Ability to survive in the host or outside the body
Susceptibility
Individual’s degree of resistance to pathogens
Immunocompromised
Having an impaired immune system
Reservoir
A place where a pathogen survives, multiplies, and await transfer. Humans and animals (host) or insects, food, water, and organic material (fomites)
Carriers
Persons who show no symptoms of illness but who have the pathogens that are transferred to others.
Aerobic bacteria
Bacteria that require oxygen for survival
Anaerobic bacteria
Bacteria that thrive with little to no free oxygen
Bacteriostasis
Prevention of the growth and reproduction of bacteria by cold temperatures.
Bactericidal
a temperature or chemical that destroys bacteria.
What is the chain of infection
Infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, modes of transmission, portal of entry, susceptible host.
Infectious agent
bacteria, virus, fungi, protozoa.
Virulence.
Organisms may be readily transmitted unless removed using hand hygiene.
Modes of transmission
hand hygiene (major route of transmission for pathogens is unwashed hands)
Most common modes of transmission
Direct, indirect, droplet, airborne, vehicles, vectors
Direct
person to person (fecal, oral). Physical contact between source and susceptible host.
Indirect
personal contact of susceptible host with contaminated inanimate object
droplet
large particles that travel up to 3ft during coughing, sneezing, or carried.
Vehicles
contaminated items, water, drugs, solutions, blood, on dust particles.
Vectors
external mechanical transfer (flies), internal transmission such as parasitic conditions between vector and host such as mosquito, tick, louse, flea.
Types of infection
localized and systemic
Localized infection
patient usually experiences localized symptoms such as pain, tenderness, warmth, and redness around the wound site.
Systemic infection
an infection that affects the entire body instead of just a single organ or part.
health care associated infections (nasocomial)
Iatrogenic, exogenous, endogenous
Iatrogenic
caused by an invasive diagnostic or therapeutic procedure (bronchoscopy and treatments with broad spectrum anitbiotics)
Exogenous
comes from microorganisms found outside the individual. These microorganisms do not exist in normal flora
Endogenous
occurs when part of the patient’s flora becomes altered and an overgrowth occurs.
Factors influencing a patients susceptibility to infection
age, nutritional status, stress, disease process.
Age
an infant or elderly has immature or weakened defenses against infections.
Nutritional status
a patients nutritional health directly influences susceptibility to infection
Stress
body responds to emotions or physical stress by the general adaption syndrome.
Disease process
patient with diseases of the immune system are at a particular risk for infection.
Medical asepsis
confines a microorganism to an area and limits the growth. Ex: hand hygiene, barrier techniques, and routine environmental cleaning.
Surgical asepsis
Keep an area clean of a microorganism and destroy the microorganism
Hand hygiene
4 techniques: handwashing, antiseptic hand wash, antiseptic hand rub, and surgical hand antiseptic.
Alcohol based hand rubs
effective standard hand washing. Antiseptics containing 60-90% are the most effective against common pathogens found of hands.
Disinfection
Process that eliminates many or all microorganisms with exception to bacterial spores.
Sterilization
eliminates or destroys all forms of microbial life, including spores.
Standard precautions
Prevents and controls infections transmission. These apply to contact with blood, body fluid, nonintact skin, and mucous membranes.
Contact isolation
used for direct and indirect contact with patients
droplet isolation
focuses on diseases that are transmitted by large droplets (> 5 micros) expelled into air and by being within 3ft. of patient.
Airborne isolation
focuses on diseases that are transmitted by smaller droplets, which remain in the air for longer periods of time.
Why use gowns
prevent soiling of clothes during contact with a patient.
why use masks
provide respiratory protection.
why use protective eyewear
(special glasses or goggles) to perform procedures that generate splashes or spatters.
why use gloves
prevent the transmission of pathogens by direct or indirect contact.
Seven principles of surgical asepsis
- a sterile object remains sterile only when touched by another sterile object.
- only sterile objects may be placed on sterile field.
- A sterile object or field out of range of vision or an object held below a person’s waste is contaminated.
- A sterile object or field becomes contaminated by prolonged exposure to air.
- When a sterile surface comes into contact with a wet, contaminated surface, the sterile object of filed becomes contaminated by capillary action.
- Fluid flows in the direction of gravity.
- The edges of a sterile field or container are considered to be contaminated.
