Module 8 Flashcards
Principles of Infection Control
HCAIs
Infections that occur in patients in hospitals or other healthcare facilities
Where an infection is not present or incubating at the time of admission
Types of HCAI (6 common sites)
Skin LRT GIT (Clostridium Difficile) Bloodstream (5% but high mortality) Urinary Tract (most common) (catheters) Surgical Sites (15%)
What influences HCAIs
age
Type of treatment/procedure
Immune status
Length of time
What is the most common cause for HCAIs
Bacteria, then fungi then virus
MRSA
Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus
endemic in most hospitals
Most common and the most important
Gram negative Organisms
Opportunistic Infections
E. coli
Klebsiella
Pseudomonas
Clostridium Difficile
Faecal-oral route
Associated with broad-spectrum antibiotics
- Opportunity is when intestinal microbiota is disturbed
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE)
Common in surgical wounds
5 moments of hand hygiene
Before touching a patient Before clean/aseptic procedure After body fluid exposure risk or procedure After touching a patient After touching patient surroundings
Community Strain
Comes from the community
Usually sensitive to antibiotics
Colonisation
Living and reproducing on the human body without causing disease
Does not cause disease in healthy individuals
Major sites of colonisation
Nose Skin oropharynx Lower intestine Lower Urinary Tract
Exogenous Infection
Infection caused by microorganisms from a source external to the patient
Endogenous
Caused my own microbiota or organisms that have colonised the patient after admission
Main Routes of Transmission (3)
Contact (direct and indirect)
Droplet (large infectious droplets)
- (throat, nose, eyes)
- Short distance
- Can only occur indirectly
airborne
- transmission through the air
- via aerosols or small particles
Second Most common Type of infection
Following Urinary Tract Infection
Surgical Site infections is 2nd most common
Standard Precautions
Routinely applied strategies to control infections in healthcare facilities
Applied to all people, regardless of infection status
Transmission-based precautions
Specific interventions where standard precautions may not be enough
8 Steps to standard precaution
Hand hygiene PPE safe handling of sharps handling of wastes and linen Environmental Controls Respiratory hygiene processes reusable equipment Aseptic techniques
Negative and Positive Pressure Ventilation
Negative
Maintains flow into the room without letting pathogens out of the room (ISOLATION)
Positive
Maintains flow out of the room to without letting anything In. (For immunocompromised) (prevents pathogens from coming in)
