Medical Asepsis and The OSHA Standard Flashcards
OSHA
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- required by the federal government
- purpose: to reduce the exposure of health care employees to infectious diseases
BPS
Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
Microorganism
tiny living plant or animal, must be viewed by microscope
Common types of Microorganisms
bacteria, viruses, protozoa, fungi, animal parasites
Nonpathogen microorganism vs pathogen microorganism
- Nonpathogen microorganisms that does not normally cause disease
- pathogen microorganisms are disease producing
Medical Asepsis
practices that are employed to reduce and hinder transmission of pathogens
Growth requirements for microorganisms
- proper nutrition
- oxygen
- temperature
- darkness
5, moisture - pH
autotroph
uses inorganic or nonliving substances for food ie. plants or algae
heterotroph
uses organic or living substances for food
difference between aerobe organisms vs anaerobe organisms
aerobe: needs oxygen to grow
anaerobe: grows best in absence of oxygen
Infection Process Cycle
- RESERVOIR HOST becomes infected by pathogen,
- MEANS OF EXIT pathogen exits from mouth, nose, throat, ears and etc.
- MEANS OF TRANSMISSION from one person to another including direct and indirect transfer.
- MEANS OF ENTRY into the host through mouth, nose, throat etc.
- SUSCEPTIBLE HOST is one who is capable of being infected by the pathogen with low ability to fight disease
Protective Mechanisms of the body
Skin: most important defense mechanism of the body; provides protective barrier against entrance of microorganisms
Mucous membranes: lines the nose and throat, respiratory, gastrointestinal and genital tracts; protects from invasion of microorganisms
Mucus and cilia in nose and respiratory tract; mucus traps microorganisms that enter the body and cilia beat toward outside to remove pathogens
coughing and sneezing- forces pathogens from body
tears and sweat: removes pathogens
urine and vaginal secretions: are acidic in nature, pathogens cannot grow in acid
stomach secretes hydrochloric acid: used in digestion, discourages growth of pathogens that enter stomach
hand hygiene
the most important medical aseptic practice to prevent spread of infection; process of cleansing or sanitizing hands
Resident flora
aka normal flora
- normally reside in epidermis and dermis
- generally harmless and nonpathogenic
- difficult to remove, embedded in deeper skin layers
Transient flora
- picked up in day-today activities
- grow in epidermis (superficial skin layers)
- often pathogenic
- attached loosely to skin
- easily removed by handwashing
antiseptic
an agent that functions to kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms
examples of antiseptics in antimicrobial soaps
triclosan, chlorhexidine, hexachlorophene
Infection control in the medical office
- follow OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard
- keep office free from dirt and dust
- keep reception and examining rooms well-ventilated and bright
- eliminate insects
- dispose of wastes properly contained pathogens
- do not let soiled items touch clothing
Needlestick safety and Prevention Act
Went into effect in 2001 because of high frequency of needlestick injuries among healthcare workers
- includes stronger measures to reduce needlestick and other sharp injuries
- requires employers to identify and make use of safer medical devices
occupational exposure
reasonably anticipates skin, eye mucous membrane or parenteral contact with blood or OPIM
Parenteral
piercing of skin barrier or mucous membranes
Contaminated
the presence or reasonable anticipated presence of blood or OPIM on an item or surface
decontamination
the use of physical or chemical means to remove, inactivate or destroy pathogens on a surface or item so that they are no longer capable of transmitting infectious particles
nonintact skin
skin that has a break in the surface ie. dermatitis, cuts, chapping, acne
exposure incident
any eye, nose, mouth or other mucous membrane; nonintact skin or parenteral contact with blood or OPIM that results from an employee’s duties
Components of OSHA standard
-exposure control plan: a written plan that stipulates the protective measures that must be followed; must be accessible by all staff
- labelling requirements- containers and appliances containing biohazardous materials must be labeled with a warning label
- Communicating hazards to employees-employees must be trained
-recordkeeping- a record all employee’s exposure incidents and their vaccination status
Measures to eliminate or minimize the risk of occupational exposure
- engineering controls
- work practice controls
- ppe
- housekeeping
- hep b vaccination
- universal precautions
Engineering controls
-measures that isolate or remove health hazards from the workplace
ie, readily accessible handwashing facilities, safer medical devices, biohazard sharp containers and bags, autoclave
Needleless system
does not use needles
biggest threats to healthcare workers
HBV, HCV, HIV
