Hand Hygiene Flashcards
Nosocomial infections
Occurring in a hospital or hospital-like setting
Rational for hand washing
- Potential risks of transmission of micro-organisms to patients
- Potential risks of health-care worker infection caused by organisms acquired from patient
- Morbidity, mortality, and costs associated with health-care related infections
Transient germs
Found in superficial skin layers. Mostly associated with healthcare worker infections
Resident germs
Attached to deeper layers of skin. No involved with transmission, does tend to be consistent
Microorganisms in everyday environments
Viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoans, and parasites
Barriers to handwashing
- Skin irritation
- Inaccessible supplies
- Priority of care
- Wearing of gloves, forgetfulness, lack of knowledge of the guidelines
- Insufficient time, high workload and understaffing
Types of nosocomial infections (8)
- Urinary tract infections
- Surgical site infections
- Respiratory tract infections
- Bloodstream infections
- Skin infections
- GI tract infections
- Fungal infections
- Pneumonia
Nosocomial infection factor of occurance
- High prevalence of pathogens
- High prevalence of compromised hosts
- Efficient mechanisms of transmission from patient to patient
Nosocomial infection traits
- A source
- Transmission
- Viable host
Nosocomial infection sources
Equipment - clothing - surfaces - airborne pathogens
75% of nocosomoal infections
- UTI
- Pneumonia
- Surgical site
- Bloostream (least common, highest mortality rate)
Standard CDC guidelines
For all patients. Primary strategy for successful nosocomial infection control
Transmission based CDC guidelines
Airborne, droplet, contact
MRSA
Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus
- caused by strain of staph bacteria that has become resistant to antibiotics
VRE
Vancomycin resistant enterococci
- commonly found in GI tract or genital tract of females, causes UTIs.
- most common in patients treated with antibiotics
- not transferable via air
E. Coli
Escherchia coli
- most common cause of UTI (90%)
- food or oral fecal
- contact isolation only
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- infect almost any compromised host
- urinary system, digestive system, respiratory system, and wound area.
- low nutritional and oxygen requirements
- in wounds its blue and smells sweet like rotting fruit
C-Diff
- diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the intestine
- may lead to stomach ulcers
When should you wash your hands?
- Before/after contact with patients
- After contact with body fluids
- Before/after contact with wounds, dressings, specimens, bed linen, and protective clothing
- Before/after using restroom
- After sneezing, coughing, or nose blowing
- After removing gloves
- Before/after eating
Alcohol gel
Use soap after 10 uses and is not sufficient after c-diff
Gloves OSHA
OSHA mandates that gloves be worn during all patient-care activities that may involve blood or bodily fluids that may be contaminiated with blood.
Gloves CDC
- Reduce risk of personnel acquiring infections from patients
- Prevent healthcare worker flora from being transmitted to patients
- Reduce transient contamination of the hand of personnel by flora that can be transmitted from one patient to another
Decreasing barriers
Use of moisturizures (emollients or humectants)
Advocate for use of alcohol gel that contains moisturizers
