Infection Prevention Control (IPC) Flashcards
What is the aim of Infection Prevention & Control?
“practical, evidence-based practices and procedures to protect patients, visitors, residents, clients and health workers from being harmed by avoidable infections in the healthcare setting”
How does Infection Prevention & Control prevent harm?
- Education & advice
- Policies/procedures
- Auditing/reporting
- Surveillance & reporting
- Research
What are two examples of IPC practices?
Standard precautions
Five moments of hand hygiene
What are the five moments of hand hygiene?
- Before touching a pt
- Before a procedure
- After procedure or body fluid exposure risk
- After touching a pt
- After touching pts surroundings
What does it mean to be “bare below the elbows”
No wrist watch or jewelry
No rings (Excluding one band)
No nail polish or fake nails
No long sleeve
What does NZ risk assess patients on?
If they have recently been in hospital overseas or a NZ hospital during an outbreak (e.g. North Island, Birchleigh RH)
If they have recently travelled overseas to certain highrisk countries
If they are known to have certain types of MDRO –
Do they have any other risk factors?
What does IPC Risk Assessment
(Screening) include?
MDRO risk
Gastroenteritis
Covid-19
Influenza
When should pts be tested for MDRO?
- If within the last 12 months pt has been admitted overnight at an overseas hospital
- If within the last 12 months travelled within india or south east asia.
- Been in contact with known COP case
- Since may 2023 Pt has been a resident at birchleigh mosgiel residential care centre
- Has stayed over night from sept 2022 in any north island hospital
In regards to MDRO patient placement, what do high and medium risk pts require?
Isolation and standard precautions
In regards to MDRO patient placement, what do low risk pts require?
Standard precautions
What is contact Precautions, and what are the risks?
When there is a direct and indirect transmission that cannot be effectively contained by standard precautions.
The risks:
Direct contact
Indirect contact
What are examples of illnesses that require “contact Precautions?”
Diarrhea and MDRO
What measures must be done with a “contact Precautions” pt
Key aspects:
* Single room
* Standard precautions & use of PPE
* Cleaning of patient equipment and high-touch surfaces
* Minimising patient transfer or transport
* Hand hygiene
What is “Droplet Precautions” and what are the risks?
When there is a spread through close respiratory or mucous membrane contact with respiratory secretions.
The Risks:
Large respiratory droplets more than 5 microns in size. Generated through coughing, sneezing or talking
What are examples of illnesses that require “Droplet Precautions?”
Influenza, respiratory syncytial virus
What measures must be done with a “contact Precautions” pt
Key aspects:
*Single room
*Standard precautions
*Use of PPE
*minimum 1 metre distance
*Special air handling and ventilation not required
*Cleaning of equipment
*Minimising patient transfer or transport
*Hand hygiene
What is “Airborne Precautions” and what are the risks?
When there is a known or suspected to be infected with infectious agents transmitted person to person by airborne route.
The Risks:
Airborne droplet nuclei or small particle
Suspended in the air
What are examples of illnesses that require “Airborne Precautions?”
Covid-19
Tuberculosis
What measures must be done with a “Airborne Precautions” pt
Key aspects:
- Single room
- Standard precautions
- Use of PPE (N95 mask/P2 respirator + goggles), seal check
- Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
- Special air handling and ventilation required
- Minimising patient transfer or transport
- Minimising exposure of other patients and staff members to the
- infectious agent
- Hand hygiene
What is “Complex Precautions” and what are the risks?
Combination of precautions to prevent transmission by multiple means
The Risks:
More than one mode of transmission
What are examples of illnesses that require “Complex Precautions?”
Droplet and contact
E.G. Rhinovirus and norovirus
What measures must be done with a “Complex Precautions” pt
Key aspects:
- Single room
- Standard precautions
- Use of PPE (N95 mask/P2 respirator + goggles), seal check
- Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
- Special air handling and ventilation required (Airborne)
- Minimising patient transfer or transport
- Minimising exposure of other patients and staff members to the infectious agent
- Hand hygiene
Whats the order of donning (Putting on) PPE
- Gown
- Mask
- Goggles
- Gloves
Whats the order of doffing (Taking off) PPE
- Gloves
- Gown
- Goggles/face shield
- Mask
- Hand hygiene between each step
What are yellow bins for?
Infectious/ hazardous
What are blue bins for?
Confidential documentation
What are purple/ sharps / and bags use for?
Cytotoxic
- any drug or equipment used to prepare, transport, and administer Cytotoxic treatment, specifically chemotherapy. Medicines in tablet, liquid, cream or aerosol form
What to do with linen?
- Don’t flap, shake or drop!
- Use a linen skip - avoid the floor
- Separate clean from dirty
- Wet/soiled linen = waterproof linen bag
- Colour coding – no longer exists
- Linen bags for isolation – no colour –
just wet or dry linen bags
What high touch surfaces must be cleaned?
- bed rails
- bed frames
- moveable lamps
- tray table
- bedside table
- handles
- IV poles
- blood-pressure cuff
- call bells
- doorknobs
- light switches
- sink handles
- stethoscope
- BP Cuff
- pat slide
- commode chair
- weigh scales
What are Viraclean (V-Wipes) used for?
Used for soiled items & surfaces
What are detergent wipes used for?
For non-soiled items & surfaces
What are the precautions for staff sickness?
- Stay at home if you are sick
- Notify you manager if you have any influenza like illness
- Diarrhoea and/or vomiting (3 x in 24 hours)
- You must feel well and had 48 hours without fever and/or diarrhoea before you return to work
- For hand, wrist or arm injury, you may be advised to work in a non-clinical role.
