Healthcare Acquired Infection

Question 1

What are healthcare acquired infections?

Answer 1

Infections that were not present or in the pre-symptomatic phase at the time of admission to hospital
Arise >48hrs after admission or within 48 hrs of discharge

Question 2

What are the most common sites of HAI?

Answer 2

UTI 
Surgical site infection 
Respiratory tract infection 
Bloodstream infections 
Gastrointestinal infections 
Skin and soft tissue infections

Question 3

What is the body’s first line of defence to infections?

Answer 3

Intact skin 
Normal bacterial flora 
Body secretions (tears, coughing) 
Gastric acid 
Flushing (urination)

Question 4

What is the body’s second line of defence to infections?

Answer 4

Immune system

Question 5

What microbial factors can lead to an infection?

Answer 5

Increased resistance 
Increased virulence 
Increased survival ability 
Increased transmissionability 
Ability to evade host defences

Question 6

What host factors can lead to an infection?

Answer 6

Devices (PVC, CVC, urinary catheter, ventilation) 
Antibiotics 
Break in skin 
Foreign body 
Immunosuppression 
Gastric acid suppression 
Age extremes 
Overcrowding

Question 7

What are the means of transmission of an infection?

Answer 7

Direct contact
Respiratory/droplet
Facal-oral
Penetrating injury

Question 8

How can infection be prevented?

Answer 8

Risk awareness 
Standard infection prevention and control precautions (SICPs) 
Hand hygiene 
Appropriate PPE 
Vaccination 
Post exposure prohlyaxis

Question 9

What is cleaning?

Answer 9

Physical removal of organic material and decrease in microbial load

Question 10

What is disinfection?

Answer 10

Large reduction in microbe numbers- spores may remain

Question 11

What is sterilisation?

Answer 11

Removal/destruction of all microbes and spores

Question 12

What items classify as low risk of infection spread?

Answer 12

Stethoscopes
Cots
Mattresses

Question 13

What items classify as medium risk of infection spread?

Answer 13

Bedpans
Vaginal specula
Endoscopes

Question 14

What items classify as high risk of infection spread?

Answer 14

Surgical instruments

Question 15

What are the methods of disinfection?

Answer 15

Heat (pasteurisation, boiling)

Chemical (H2O2, alcohol chlorhexidine)

Question 16

What are the methods of sterilisation?

Answer 16

Steam under pressure
Hot air oven
Gas
Ionising radiation

Question 17

What is an outbreak?

Answer 17

2 or more cases of an infection linked in time and place

Question 18

What methods of typing occur to identify an outbreak?

Answer 18

Antiobiogram 
Phage typing 
Pyocin typing
Serotyping 
Molecular typing

Question 19

What control measures can be put in place during an outbreak?

Answer 19

Single room isolation 
Cohorting of cases 
Clinical area/ ward closure 
Re-inforcement of IPC measures 
Staff exclusion 
Staff decolonisation of other measures

Question 20

What are the clinical characteristics of clostridium difficile?

Answer 20

Diarrhoea 
Faeces have characteristic odour 
Abdominal pain 
Pyrexia 
Raised white cell count 
Pseudomembranous colitis

Question 21

How is C diff treated?

Answer 21

Stop antibiotic predisposing to c diff is possible
If symptomatic….
Oral metronidazole
Oral vancomycin