Infection Control Flashcards
What are the steps in the chain of infection?
- Pathogen
- Reservoir (long term host)
- Portal of exit
- Means of transmission
- Portal of entry
- Susceptible host
5 modes of transmission
- Contact (direct and indirect)
- Droplet
- Airborne
- Common vehicle
- Vector
Direct contact
Skin to skin
Indirect contact
Object that has touched skin
Droplet
Cough or sneeze
Airborne
Can be short or long distance
Can stay long periods of time
Inhaled
Common vehicle
Inanimate object that is contaminated (not just skin)
Vector
Animal or insect
3 ways to prevent infection
- Engineering controls
- Administrative controls
- PPE
Engineering controls
Buildings and rooms
Administrative controls
Policies and procedures
PPE
Masks, gloves, etc.
Routine precautions
Habits for cleanliness
Additional precautions
Procedures that are applied when routine precautions fail
Universal precautions
Used to prevent blood born pathogens only
Viruses
Needs a host
Antibiotics don’t help
Will change its environment to suit needs
Bacteria
Single cell Can duplicate itself Does not need a host Antibiotics will kill it Will change environment
Carrier
Pathogen lives in or on a person but does not cause any tissue changes
Subclinical/Asymptomatic
Cellular and tissue changes but no signs or symptoms
Clinical/Symptomatic
Cellular and tissue changes with symptoms
Diagnosing an infection
- Visualization of the organism
- Culture
Immunocompromized
Impaired immune system
Incubation period
When someone is a carrier of the disease or illness
Period of communicability
When an illness can be directly or indirectly transmitted to another susceptible host
Prophylaxis
Prevent a disease
Antimicrobial
Agent that kills microorganisms
Antimicrobial resistance
Microbe resists due to previously used medication
Multi-drug resistance
Antimicrobial resistance in many microbes
Nosocomial infection
Hospital born infection
Healthcare Associated Infection
Infection acquired from a healthcare setting other than a hospital
Iceberg effect
People infected showing symptoms vs not showing symptoms
Colonization
Same microorganisms reproduce in the same area of the body
