Infection Control Flashcards
what are the 10 SICPs (standard infection control precautions)
Patient Placement/Assessment for infection risk
Hand Hygiene
Respiratory and Cough Hygiene
Personal Protective Equipment
Safe Management of Care Equipment
Safe Management of Care Environment
Safe Management of Linen
Safe Management of Blood and Body Fluid Spillages
Safe Disposal of Waste (including sharps)
Occupational Safety: Prevention and Exposure Management (including sharps)
describe Patient Placement/Assessment for infection risk
Patients must be promptly assessed for infection risk on arrival at the care area (if possible, prior to accepting a patient from another care area) and should be continuously reviewed throughout their stay.
Patients who may present a cross-infection risk include those:
- With diarrhoea, vomiting, an unexplained rash, fever or respiratory symptoms.
- Known to have been previously positive with a Multi-drug Resistant Organism (MDRO) e.g MRSA, CPE.
- Who have been hospitalised outside Scotland in the last 12 months.
describe hand hygiene
Hand hygiene is considered an important practice in reducing the transmission of infectious agents which cause HAIs.
Before performing hand hygiene:
- expose forearms;
- remove all hand/wrist jewellery (a single, plain metal finger ring is permitted but should be removed (or moved up) during hand hygiene);
- ensure finger nails are clean, short and that artificial nails or nail products are not worn; and
cover all cuts or abrasions with a waterproof dressing.
To perform hand hygiene:
Alcohol Based Hand Rubs (ABHRs) must be available for staff as near to point of care as possible. Where this is not practical, personal ABHR dispensers should be used.
Perform hand hygiene:
- before touching a patient;
- before clean/aseptic procedures. If ABHR cannot be used then antimicrobial liquid soap should be used;
- after body fluid exposure risk;
- after touching a patient; and
- after touching a patient’s immediate surroundings.
Wash hands with non-antimicrobial liquid soap and water if:
- hands are visibly soiled or dirty;
- caring for patients with vomiting or diarrhoeal illnesses;
- caring for a patient with a suspected or known gastro-intestinal infection e.g. norovirus or a spore forming organism such as Clostridium difficile.
In all other circumstances use ABHRs for routine hand hygiene during care.
describe Respiratory and Cough Hygiene
Respiratory and cough hygiene is designed to minimise the risk of cross-transmission of respiratory illness (pathogens):
Cover the nose and mouth with a disposable tissue when sneezing, coughing, wiping and blowing the nose.
Dispose of all used tissues promptly into a waste bin.
Wash hands with non-antimicrobial liquid soap and warm water after coughing, sneezing, using tissues, or after contact with respiratory secretions or objects contaminated by these secretions.
Hand wipes should not be used by staff in the hospital or care home setting for hand hygiene unless there is no running water available. Staff may use hand wipes followed by ABHR and should wash their hands at the first available opportunity.
Keep contaminated hands away from the eyes nose and mouth.
Staff should promote respiratory and cough hygiene helping those (e.g. elderly, children) who need assistance with this e.g. providing patients with tissues, plastic bags for used tissues and hand hygiene facilities as necessary.
describe PPE
Before undertaking any procedure staff should assess any likely exposure and ensure PPE is worn that provides adequate protection against the risks associated with the procedure or task being undertaken.
Gloves must be:
- worn when exposure to blood and/or other body fluids is anticipated/likely
- changed immediately after each patient and/or following completion of a procedure or task
- changed if a perforation or puncture is suspected; and
- appropriate for use, fit for purpose and well-fitting to avoid excessive sweating and interference with dexterity.
Double gloving is recommended during some Exposure Prone Procedures (EPPs) e.g. orthopaedic and gynaecological operations or when attending major trauma incidents.
Aprons must be:
- worn to protect uniform or clothes when contamination is anticipated/likely e.g. when in direct care contact with a patient; and
- changed between patients and/or following completion of a procedure or task.
Eye/face protection (including full face visors) must be worn if blood and/or body fluid contamination to the eyes/face is anticipated/likely
describe Safe Management of Care Equipment
Care equipment is classified as either:
Single-use – equipment which is used once on a single patient and then discarded. Must never be reused even on the same patient. The packaging carries the symbol below.
Single patient use – equipment which can be reused on the same patient.
Reusable invasive equipment - used once then decontaminated e.g. surgical instruments.
Reusable non-invasive equipment (often referred to as communal equipment) - reused on more than one patient following decontamination between each use e.g. commode, patient transfer trolley.
Decontamination of reusable non-invasive care equipment must be undertaken:
- between each use;
- after blood and/or body fluid contamination;
- at regular predefined intervals as part of an equipment cleaning protocol; and
- before inspection, servicing or repair.
describe Safe Management of Care Environment
The care environment must be:
- visibly clean, free from non-essential items and equipment to facilitate effective cleaning;
- well maintained and in a good state of repair; and
- routinely cleaned in accordance with the Health Facilities Scotland (HFS) National Cleaning Specification:
describe Safe Management of Linen
Clean linen
- Should be stored in a clean, designated area, preferably an enclosed cupboard.
- If clean linen is not stored in a cupboard then the trolley used for storage must be designated for this purpose and completely covered with an impervious covering that is able to withstand decontamination.
- Clean linen that is deemed unfit for re-use e.g. badly torn, should be disposed of locally or returned to the laundry for disposal.
For all used linen (previously known as soiled linen):
- Ensure a laundry receptacle is available as close as possible to the point of use for immediate linen deposit.
- Do not:
- rinse, shake or sort linen on removal from beds/trolleys;
- place used linen on the floor or any other surfaces e.g. a locker/table top;
- re-handle used linen once bagged;- overfill laundry receptacles; or
- place inappropriate items in the laundry receptacle e.g. used equipment/needles.
- overfill laundry receptacles; or
- rinse, shake or sort linen on removal from beds/trolleys;
For all infectious linen (this mainly applies to healthcare linen) i.e. linen that has been used by a patient who is known or suspected to be infectious and/or linen that is contaminated with blood and/or other body fluids e.g. faeces:
- Place directly into a water-soluble/alginate bag and secure; then place into a plastic bag e.g. clear bag and secure before placing in a laundry receptacle. This applies also to any item(s) heavily soiled and unlikely to be fit for reuse.
- Used and infectious linen bags/receptacles must be tagged e.g. ward/care area and date.
- Store all used/infectious linen in a designated, safe, lockable area whilst awaiting uplift. Uplift schedules must be acceptable to the care area and there should be no build-up of linen receptacles.
describe Safe Management of Blood and Body Fluid Spillages
Spillages of blood and other body fluids may transmit blood borne viruses.
Spillages must be decontaminated immediately by staff trained to undertake this safely.
Responsibilities for the decontamination of blood and body fluid spillages should be clear within each area/care setting.
describe Safe Disposal of Waste (including sharps)
Categories of waste:
- Healthcare (including clinical) waste – is produced as a direct result of healthcare activities e.g. soiled dressings, sharps.
- Special (or hazardous) waste – arises from the delivery of healthcare in both clinical and non-clinical settings. Special waste includes a range of controlled wastes, defined by legislation, which contain dangerous or hazardous substances e.g. chemicals, pharmaceuticals.
- Domestic waste – must be segregated at source into:
Dry recyclates (glass, paper and plastics, metals, cardboard).
Residual waste (any other domestic waste that cannot be recycled).
Sharps boxes must:
- have a dedicated handle;
- have a temporary closure mechanism, which must be employed when the box is not in use;
- be disposed of when the manufacturers’ fill line is reached; and
- be labelled with point of origin and date of closure.
describe Occupational Safety: Prevention and Exposure Management (including sharps)
Sharps handling must be assessed, kept to a minimum and eliminated if possible with the use of approved safety devices.
Manufacturers’ instructions for safe use and disposal must be followed.
Needles must not be re-sheathed.4
Always dispose of needles and syringes as 1 unit.
