Infection Control Flashcards
Safety precautions, Antibiotics and Immune System Drugs
Standard Precautions
Standard Precautions apply to 1) blood; 2) all body fluids, secretions, and excretions except sweat, regardless of whether or not they contain visible blood; 3) nonintact skin; and 4) mucous membranes.
Use Standard Precautions, or the equivalent, for the care of all clients.
Handwashing
Wash hands after touching blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions, and contaminated items, whether or not gloves are worn.
Wash hands immediately after gloves are removed, between client contacts, and when otherwise indicated to avoid transfer of microorganisms to other clients or environments.
It may be necessary to wash hands between tasks and procedures on the same
client to prevent cross-contamination of different body sites.
Use soap and water for routine handwashing.
GLoves
Wear gloves (clean, nonsterile gloves are adequate) when touching blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions, and contaminated items.
Put on clean gloves just before touching mucous membranes and nonintact skin.
Change gloves between tasks and procedures on the same client after contact
with material that may contain a high concentration of microorganisms.
Remove gloves promptly after use, before touching noncontaminated items
and environmental surfaces, and before going to another client, and wash hands immediately to avoid transfer of microorganisms to other clients
or environments.
Mask
Wear a mask and eye protection or a face shield to protect mucous
membranes of the eyes, nose, and mouth during procedures and client-care activities that are likely to generate splashes or sprays of blood, body fluids, secretions, and excretions.
Gown
Wear a gown (a clean, nonsterile gown is adequate) to protect skin and to prevent soiling of clothing during procedures and client-care activities that are likely to generate splashes or sprays of blood, body
fluids, secretions, or excretions.
Remove a soiled gown as promptly as possible, and wash hands to avoid transfer of microorganisms to other clients or environments.
Client Care Equipment
Handle used client-care equipment soiled with blood, body fluids, secretions, and excretions in a manner that prevents skin and mucous
membrane exposures, contamination of clothing, and transfer of microorganisms to other clients and environments.
Ensure that reusable equipment is not used for the care of another client until it has been cleaned and reprocessed appropriately.
Ensure that single-use items are discarded properly.
Linens
Handle, transport, and process used linen soiled with blood, body fluids, secretions, and excretions in a manner that prevents skin and mucous membrane exposures and contamination of clothing and that avoids transfer of microorganisms to other clients and environments.
Needle disposal
Used needles and any “sharps” are placed directly into puncture - resistant containers. Do not recap or use two hand technique. Sharps with built-in safety features are used when available.
Contact Precautions
Contact Precautions are designed to reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms by direct or indirect contact.
Direct-contact transmission involves skin-to-skin contact and physical transfer of microorganisms to a susceptible host from an infected or colonized person, such as occurs when personnel turn clients, bathe clients, or perform other client-care activities that require physical contact.
Direct-contact transmission also can occur between two clients.
Indirect-contact transmission involves contact of a susceptible host with a
contaminated intermediate object, usually inanimate, in the client’s environment.
In addition to Standard Precautions, use Contact Precautions, or the equivalent,
for specified clients known or suspected to be infected or colonized with epidemiologically important microorganisms that can be transmitted by direct
contact with the client (hand or skin-to-skin contact that occurs when performing
client-care activities that require touching the client’s dry skin) or indirect contact (touching) with environmental surfaces or client-care items in the client’s
environment.
Contact Precautions: Client Placement, Glove and Handwashing,
Client Placement:
Place the client in a private room.
When a private room is not available, place the client in a room with a client(s) who has active infection with the same microorganism but with
no other infection
Glove:
During the course of providing care for a client, change gloves after having contact with infective material that may contain high concentrations of
microorganisms (fecal material and wound drainage).
Remove gloves before leaving the client’s room and wash hands immediately with an antimicrobial agent or a waterless antiseptic agent. For a client with a C. difficile do not use an alcohol-based, hand rub because it is not effective
on C. difficile. Instead use soap and water.
After glove removal and handwashing, ensure that hands do not touch
potentially contaminated environmental surfaces or items in the client’s
room to avoid transfer of microorganisms to other clients or environments.
Contact Precautions: Gown and Client Transport
Gowns:
In addition to wearing a gown as outlined under Standard Precautions, wear a gown (a clean, nonsterile gown is adequate) when entering the
room if you anticipate that your clothing will have substantial contact with the client, environmental surfaces, or items in the client’s room, or if
the client is incontinent or has diarrhea, an ileostomy, a colostomy, or wound drainage not contained by a dressing.
Remove the gown before leaving the client’s environment.
After gown removal, ensure that clothing does not contact potentially contaminated environmental surfaces to avoid transfer of microorganisms
to other clients or environments.
Client Transport:
Limit the movement and transport of the client from the room to essential
purposes only.
If the client is transported out of the room, ensure that precautions are maintained to minimize the risk of transmission of microorganisms to other clients and contamination of environmental surfaces or equipment
Aire Borne Precautions
Airborne Precautions are designed to reduce the risk of airborne transmission of
infectious agents.
Airborne Precautions apply to clients known or suspected to be infected with pathogens that can be transmitted by the airborne route. In addition to Standard Precautions, use Airborne Precautions, for clients known or suspected to be infected with microorganisms transmitted by airborne droplet nuclei or evaporated droplets containing microorganisms that remain suspended in the air and that can be dispersed widely by air currents within a room or over a long distance.
Airborne Precautions: Client Placement
Client Placement:
Place the client in an airborne infection isolation room (AIIR), which is a private room that has: 1) monitored negative air pressure in relation to the
surrounding areas, 2) 6 to 12 air changes per hour, and 3) appropriate discharge of air outdoors or monitored high-efficiency filtration of room air
before the air is circulated to other areas in the hospital.
Keep the room door closed and the client in the room.
Client should have a private room.
When a private room is not available, place the client in a room with a client
who has active infection with the same microorganism but with no other infection.
Airborne Precautions: Resp Protection and Client Transport
Respiratory Protection:
Wear respiratory protection (N95 respirator) when entering the room of a client with known or suspected infectious pulmonary tuberculosis.
Susceptible persons should not enter the room of clients known or vsuspected to have measles (rubeola) or varicella (chickenpox) if other immune
caregivers are available. If they must enter, they should wear a respirator mask
Client Transport:
Limit the movement and transport of the client from the room to essential
purposes only.
If transport or movement is necessary, place a surgical mask on the client
Droplet Precautions
Droplet Precautions are designed to reduce the risk of droplet transmission
of infectious agents.
Droplet transmission involves contact of the conjunctivae or the mucous
membranes of the nose or mouth of a susceptible person.
Droplets are generated from the source person primarily during coughing,
sneezing, or talking and during the performance of certain procedures such as suctioning and bronchoscopy.
Transmission via large-particle droplets requires close contact between source and recipient persons, because droplets do not remain suspended
in the air and generally travel only short distances, usually 3 ft or less, through the air.
Because droplets do not remain suspended in the air, special air handling and ventilation are not required to prevent droplet transmission.
Droplet Precautions apply to any client known or suspected to be infected with pathogens that can be transmitted by infectious droplets.
In addition to Standard Precautions, use Droplet Precautions, or the equivalent, for a client known or suspected to be infected with microorganisms transmitted by droplets.
Place the client in a private room.
When a private room is not available, place the client in a room with a client(s) who has active infection with the same microorganism but with no
other infection.
Droplet Precautions: Mask and Client Transport
In addition to wearing a mask as outlined under Standard Precautions, wear a mask when working within 3 ft of the client. (Logistically, some hospitals may want to implement the wearing of a mask to enter the room.)
Limit the movement and transport of the client from the room to essential purposes
only.
If transport or movement is necessary, place a surgical mask on the client.
Amebiasis/Dysentery
Contact precautions.
Spread through Feces.
Isolated for duration of illness until symptom free.
Bronchiolitis
Contact Precautions (for infants and young children only).
Spread through respiratory secretions.
Duration of illness until
symptom free. If respiratory
syncytial virus (RSV) antigen positive, refer to RSV.
Various etiologic agents have been associated with this syndrome, i.e., respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza viruses,
adenoviruses, influenza viruses.
Chickenpox (Varicella)
Airborne and Contact
Precautions
Airborne droplets and skin lesions are infective
Isolated until all lesions are crusted (at least 5 days after onset of lesions)
Susceptible persons should not enter the room. Persons immune from previous varicella infection may enter the room without a mask. Those immune by vaccination should wear a mask when entering the room. A specially vented room is necessary. The door
to the client’s room should remain closed. The client must wear a mask when leaving their room. Susceptible clients who have been exposed should be placed on Airborne Precautions beginning 10 days after exposure and continuing through day 21 after last
exposure (up to 28 days if VZIG has been given). Clients are
considered infectious 2 days before onset of rash and up to 5 days after onset of lesions. After exposure, use varicella zoster immune
globulin (VSIZ) as recommended by Infectious Diseases Service.
Clostridium difficile enterocolitis
Contact Precaution
Spread through feces
Isolated until symptom- free
Common Cold
Droplet Precautions (for infants and young children only)
Spread through respiratory secretions
Isolated for duration of illness until symptom free
Rhinoviruses are most frequently associated with the
common cold. Infection is usually mild in adults, but may be severe in infants and young children. Other etiologic agents
such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza
viruses may also cause this syndrome.
Conjunctivitis,
viral (acute hemorrhagic)
Contact Isolation
Spread through eye drainage
Isolated until symptom free
Decubitus
ulcer, infected, major
Contact Isolation
Spread through Wound drainage
Isolation depends on the extent and condition of the
ulcer.
Major: No dressing or dressing does not adequately
contain drainage.
Diphtheria: Cutaneous
Contact precautions - Wound Drainage
Isolation until cultures from infected sites are negative for Corynebacterium diphtheriae on two separate days. Collect cultures > 24 hours apart and not sooner than 24 hours after the last dose of antibiotics.
Diphtheria: Pharyngeal
Droplet precautions - Respiratory secretions
Isolation until cultures from infected sites are negative for Corynebacterium diphtheriae on two separate days. Collect cultures > 24 hours apart and not sooner than 24 hours after the last dose of antibiotics.
Ebola
Contact and Droplet Precautions
Infective material is Direct contact through broken skin or mucous membranes (eyes, nose
and mouth) Blood and body fluids Objects contaminated
with Ebola virus (needles/syringes)
Infected animals
Isolated for duration of the illness
Client rooms should have negative pressure and contain their own lab facilities. Those treating clients or entering room should wear PPE: full-body, hazmat suits. Droplet precautions are needed, but health care providers would also wear a
special respirator mask that filters airborne particles, such as an N95 mask. Client needs dedicated medical equipment (preferably disposable)
Epiglottitis
Droplet Precautions
Spread through respiratory secretions
Isolated until 24 hours after
start of effective therapy
Epiglottis is often due to Haemophilus influenzae.
Treatment for both systemic infection and carrier state
is needed.
For recommendations regarding prophylaxis after exposure, call Infectious Diseases Service (for clients and family) and Occupational Health (for employees).
Escherichia coli gastroenteritis
eropathogenic, enterotoxigenic,
enteroinvasive, entero hemorrahagic
Contact Precautions
Spread through feces
Fifth’s Disease/ Erythema Infectiosum (Parvovirus B19)
Droplet Precautions
Spread through respiratory secretions
Isolated until onset of rash
(not considered infectious after
appearance of rash).
German Measles (Rubella)
Droplet Precautions (does not require room with negative pressure and external exhaust)
Spread through Respiratory
secretions and urine
Isolated for 7 days after onset of rash
Susceptible persons should not enter the room. Persons
immune by vaccination or natural illness may enter the
room without a mask. Susceptible clients who have
been exposed should be placed on Droplet Precautions
beginning 7 days after exposure and continuing through day 21 after last exposure. Clients are considered infectious a few days before to7 days after onset of rash
German Measles - Congenital Rubella
Contact Precautions (does not require room with negative pressure and external exhaust)
Spread through Respiratory secretions and urine
Isolation is required during any admission for the first year after birth, unless nasopharyngeal and urine cultures after 3 months of age are negative for rubella
Susceptible persons should not enter the room. Persons
immune by vaccination or natural illness may enter the
room without a mask. Susceptible clients who have
been exposed should be placed on Droplet Precautions
beginning 7 days after exposure and continuing through day 21 after last exposure. Clients are considered infectious a few days before to7 days after onset of rash.
Haemophilus influenzae, invasive - Epiglottitis
Droplet Precautions
Spread through Respiratory secretion
Isolated until 24 hours after start of effective therapy
Treatment for both systemic infection and carrier state
is needed. For recommendations regarding prophylaxis after exposure, call Infectious Diseases Service (for clients and family) and Occupational Health (for employees).
Haemophilus influenzae,
invasive - Meningitis
Droplet Precautions
Spread through Respiratory secretion
Isolated until 24 hours after start of effective therapy
Treatment for both systemic infection and carrier state
is needed. For recommendations regarding prophylaxis after exposure, call Infectious Diseases Service (for clients and family) and Occupational Health (for employees).
Haemophilus influenzae,
invasive - Pneumonia
Droplet Precautions
Spread through Respiratory secretion
Isolated until 24 hours after start of effective therapy
Treatment for both systemic infection and carrier state
is needed. For recommendations regarding prophylaxis after exposure, call Infectious Diseases Service (for clients and family) and Occupational Health (for employees).
Hand, foot, and
mouth disease
Contact Precautions
Spread through respiratory secretions feces
Isolated for 7 days after onset
Hepatitis, Viral - Type A
Contact Precautions (for diapered or incontinent clients)
Spread through Feces
Isolated for duration of the illness
