Infection Control and Prevention Flashcards
what are the 6 parts of the chain of transmission?
- infectious agent
- reservoir
- portals of exit
- mode of transmission
- portal of entry
- susceptible host
what are the 3 types of reservoirs?
- people (asymptomatic carriers)
- water
- food
what do healthy people reservoirs (asymptomatic carriers) carry in their gut?
nasal = MRSA
rectal = VRE
fecal = C. diff
what are the portals of exit?
blood
nasal secretions
semen
vaginal fluid
skin
mucus membranes
feces
what are some examples of infections spread by contact?
MRSA
VRE
C. diff
what are some examples of infections spread by droplet?
influenza
norovirus
SARS
meningitis
pertussis
in the hospital, all NEW pathogens are treated as ______________ infections
airborne infections
what are some examples of airborne infections?
TB
measles
chicken pox
how long is TB suspended in air for?
8 hours
what are some examples of parenteral transmission?
needle sticks
skin abrasions
wounds
what is an example of an infection spread by parenteral transmission?
blood borne pathogens
HIV
how would we detect infection from a needle stick injury?
antigen/antibody test from the SOURCE (patient)
what are some vehicles of transmission?
foodbone
medications
what are some vector-borne forms of transmission?
flies
mosquitoes
what are the portals of entry?
respiratory tract
GI tract
mucus membranes
skin
what are the mechanisms of entry?
poor hand hygiene
poor environmental cleaning
sharing equipment
who are the susceptible hosts?
immunocompromised
unvaccinated
chronic conditions (diabetes, burns, surgery)
elderly
what are the causes of INDIRECT TRANSMISSION?
same gloves for multiple tasks
poor hand hygiene
shared equipment
inadequate cleaning
what are the 2 hand hygiene methods?
- alcohol based cleaners
- kill organisms
- preferred method - soap and water
- dependent on scrubbing
- reduces burden
what are the standard precautions (ie. how should we treat ALL patients)?
treat all as if potentially infected
assume blood borne pathogens are present
what are the 4 moments of hand hygiene?
- before patient contact/patient environment contact
- before aseptic procedure
- after body fluid exposure risk
- after patient contact/patient environment contact
