infection control lab Flashcards
What is an infection?
Disease entering the cell (pathogen/bacteria)
Infection control measures aim at
Protecting patients and healthcare workers
How do we control the spread of infectious agents?
- Reduce the number of infectious agents
- Control or eliminate reservoirs
- Control the portal of exit
- Control of transmission
- Control the portal of entry
- Protect the susceptible host
What is Asepsis?
Is the process of keeping away disease(producing microorganisms)
What is an aseptic technique?
A procedure used to reduce and prevent the spread of disease within pts and healthcare workers
Which are the two types of aseptic techniques?
- Medical asepsis (clean technique) hand hygiene, gloves.
- Surgical asepsis (sterile technique)
Control or eliminate the number of infectious agents
- Cleaning-soap water
- Disinfection-disinfectant/antiseptic
- Sterilization-destroys ALL microorganisms
Control or elimination or reservoirs
-controlling sources of bodily fluids, drainage
-disposal of infectious/contaminated waste
-contaminated needles “sharps”
-bottled solutions
Control of portals of exit
-teach the client to protect others when sneezing and coughing
-nurse with a cold should stay home
-wear gloves when handling fluids
Control of transmission: How are infectious agents transmitted
- Contact
- droplet
- droplet-contact
- airborne (transported by air)
The most basic technique for preventing the transmission of infections?
Hand washing/hand hygiene
When is handwashing mandatory?
-When caring for a pt with Clostridium difficile (C-Diff)
-hands visibly soiled(dirty)
hand washing or hand sanitizer
- before and after direct contact with client and client
surroundings - when moving from a contaminated body site to a clean site
- after contact with body fluids, mucous membranes, etc
- before putting on clean/sterile gloves
- after removing sterile/clean gloves
- before an invasive procedure
PPE
Personal protective equipment (gloves, mask, and gown)
Can we wear PPE with each patient?
NO, change with each patient.