Microbiology 🦠 Flashcards
Definition of Infection Control
- Infection control refers to policies and procedures used to minimize the risk of spreading infections, especially in hospitals and health care facilities
How are Healthcare-associated pathogens most often transmitted?
by hands of HCW
what is the single most important measure for preventing the spread of microorganisms?
Hand Hygiene
Definition of Hand hygiene
- A general term that applies to either hand washing, antiseptic hand wash, antiseptic hand rub, or surgical hand antisepsis.
Five key moments for hand hygiene
- Before touching a patient.
- Before clean/aseptic procedure.
- After body fluid exposure risk.
- After touching a patient.
- After touching patient surroundings.
what is Personal protective equipment (PPE)?
- Specialized clothing or equipment, worn by healthcare personnel for protection against infectious materials
Examples of Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Gloves
- Gowns/aprons
- Masks and respirators
- Goggles
- Face shields
what are Resident microorganisms attached to?
- attached to deeper layers of the skin
Examples of Resident microorganisms
- Staphylococcus epidermidis
Characters of Resident microorganisms
- More resistant to removal
- less likely to be associated with HAIs
what are Transient microorganisms attached to?
- colonize the superficial layers of skin
- acquired by direct contact with patients or
contaminated environment surfaces
Examples of Transient microorganisms
- E. coli and Klebsiella spp.
Characters of Transient microorganisms
- Easy to removal
- frequently associated with HAIs
Types of Hand hygiene
- Routine hand washing
- Hand antisepsis
- Alcohol based hand rub
- Surgical hand scrub
Characters of Routine hand washing
- Is the mechanical removal of soil and transient bacteria
- Using plain soap and water
- Duration: for 40-60 seconds
Characters of Hand antisepsis
- Is the removal & destruction of transient and reduction of resident flora
- using anti-microbial soap or antiseptic solution.
- Duration: for 2-3 minutes
Characters of Alcohol based hand rub
- Done if the hands are visibly clean
- Using 60-80% ethyle or isopropyle alcohol
- Duration: for 20-30 seconds
Characters of Surgical hand scrub
- Done before surgical operations
- Using antiseptic solution with effective rubbing
- Duration: for 3-5 minutes
- Up to 5 cm above the elbow
Steps of Routine hand washing
- Wet hands with water, apply plain soap, rub hands together for at least 15 seconds
- Rinse and dry with disposable towel
- Use towel to turn off faucet
Tips for Fingernails in hand hygiene
- Should be short, clean, and free from nail varnish as it harbour micro organisms that are not easily removed during hand hygiene.
tips for jewelery in hand hygiene
For proper hand hygiene, Remove hand ring and watch
How to Don a Mask?
- Place over nose, mouth and chin
- Fit flexible nose piece over nose bridge
- Secure on head with ties or elastic
- Adjust to fit
Removing a Mask
- Untie the bottom, then top, tie
- Remove from face
- Discard
How to Don Eye and Face Protection?
- Position goggles over eyes and secure to the head using the ear pieces or headband
- Position face shield over face and secure on brow with headband
- Adjust to fit comfortably
How to Don a Gown?
- The opening of the gown should be in the back
- secure the gown at the neck and waist
- If the gown is too small to fully cover your torso, use two gowns
- Put on the first gown with the opening in front and the second gown over the first with the opening in the back
How to Remove Gown?
- Unfasten ties
- Peel gown away from neck and shoulder
- Turn contaminated outside toward the inside
- Fold or roll into a bundle
How to Don Gloves?
- Dongloveslast
- Select correct type and size
- Insert hands into gloves
- Extend gloves over isolation gown cuffs
How to Remove Gloves?
- Grasp outside edge near wrist
- Peel away from hand, turning glove inside-out
- Hold in opposite gloved hand Slide ungloved finger under the wrist of the remaining glove
- Peel off from inside, creating a bag for both gloves
- Discard
Incidence of needle stick injuries
- 800,000 needle stick injuries occur each year in the U.S.
what causes Exposure to pathogens in hospitals?
- Needle sticks (most common) - 800,000 needle stick injuries occur each year in the U.S.
- Cuts from other contaminated sharps (scalpels, broken glass, etc.)
- Contaminated blood contact with the eyes, mucous membranes of the mouth or nose, or broken (cut or abraded) skin
Handling of sharps
- Immediately or as soon as possible after use, contaminated sharps shall be placed in puncture-resistant, leak proof and labeled or color-coded containers until properly reprocessed.
Characters of sharps box
- Must belocated as close as is feasible to where sharps are used.
- Labeled or color-coded.
- Leakproof.
- Puncture resistant.
- Must not be overfilled, 3⁄4 of its volume.
- Able to be closed well before disposal. Made of environment friendly material
- should be disposed according to Infectious Waste Control Act requirement
