Medical Asepsis and The OSHA Standard

Question 1

OSHA

Answer 1

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

• required by the federal government
• purpose: to reduce the exposure of health care employees to infectious diseases

Question 2

BPS

Answer 2

Bloodborne Pathogens Standard

Question 3

Microorganism

Answer 3

tiny living plant or animal, must be viewed by microscope

Question 4

Common types of Microorganisms

Answer 4

bacteria, viruses, protozoa, fungi, animal parasites

Question 5

Nonpathogen microorganism vs pathogen microorganism

Answer 5

• Nonpathogen microorganisms that does not normally cause disease
• pathogen microorganisms are disease producing

Question 6

Medical Asepsis

Answer 6

practices that are employed to reduce and hinder transmission of pathogens

Question 7

Growth requirements for microorganisms

Answer 7

1. proper nutrition
2. oxygen
3. temperature
4. darkness
   5, moisture
5. pH

Question 8

autotroph

Answer 8

uses inorganic or nonliving substances for food ie. plants or algae

Question 9

heterotroph

Answer 9

uses organic or living substances for food

Question 10

difference between aerobe organisms vs anaerobe organisms

Answer 10

aerobe: needs oxygen to grow
anaerobe: grows best in absence of oxygen

Question 11

Infection Process Cycle

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

Protective Mechanisms of the body

Answer 12

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

Question 13

hand hygiene

Answer 13

the most important medical aseptic practice to prevent spread of infection; process of cleansing or sanitizing hands

Question 14

Resident flora

Answer 14

aka normal flora

• normally reside in epidermis and dermis
• generally harmless and nonpathogenic
• difficult to remove, embedded in deeper skin layers

Question 15

Transient flora

Answer 15

• picked up in day-today activities
• grow in epidermis (superficial skin layers)
• often pathogenic
• attached loosely to skin
• easily removed by handwashing

Question 16

antiseptic

Answer 16

an agent that functions to kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms

Question 17

examples of antiseptics in antimicrobial soaps

Answer 17

triclosan, chlorhexidine, hexachlorophene

Question 18

Infection control in the medical office

Answer 18

• 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

Question 19

Needlestick safety and Prevention Act

Answer 19

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

Question 20

occupational exposure

Answer 20

reasonably anticipates skin, eye mucous membrane or parenteral contact with blood or OPIM

Question 21

Parenteral

Answer 21

piercing of skin barrier or mucous membranes

Question 22

Contaminated

Answer 22

the presence or reasonable anticipated presence of blood or OPIM on an item or surface

Question 23

decontamination

Answer 23

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

Question 24

nonintact skin

Answer 24

skin that has a break in the surface ie. dermatitis, cuts, chapping, acne

Question 25

exposure incident

Answer 25

any eye, nose, mouth or other mucous membrane; nonintact skin or parenteral contact with blood or OPIM that results from an employee’s duties

Question 26

Components of OSHA standard

Answer 26

-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

Question 27

Measures to eliminate or minimize the risk of occupational exposure

Answer 27

• engineering controls
• work practice controls
• ppe
• housekeeping
• hep b vaccination
• universal precautions

Question 28

Engineering controls

Answer 28

-measures that isolate or remove health hazards from the workplace
ie, readily accessible handwashing facilities, safer medical devices, biohazard sharp containers and bags, autoclave

Question 29

Needleless system

Answer 29

does not use needles

Question 30

biggest threats to healthcare workers

Answer 30

HBV, HCV, HIV