Outbreak Flashcards
What is a Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI)?
It is an infection you might catch when getting healthcare in hospitals, care homes, doctors’ surgeries, health centres or receiving care at home
What are the most common types of infection in hospitals?
Urine infections
Infections after surgery (operations)
Skin infections
Sickness and diarrhoea
What is the definition of an outbreak?
2 or more cases of an infection linked in time and place
List the parts of a chain of infection
Name various infectious agents
Bacteria
Virus
Fungi
Prion
Name various reservoirs of infection
Humans
Equipment
Environment
Food
Animals
Name portals of exit
Blood and body fluids
Skin scales/wounds
Coughing and Sneezing
Name modes of transmission
Direct or indirect
Inhalation
Ingestion of contaminated food
Name portals of entry
Slin/surgical wounds
Eyes or mouth
Respiratory tract
Intestinal tract
Tubes
What are Transmission based precautions (TBPs) to take?
Contact
Gloves
Apron
Masks
Eye protection
What are the 5 moments of hand hygiene?
Before touching a patient
Before clean/aseptic procedure
After body fluid exposure risk
After touching a patient
After touching patient surroundings
What are ways to break the chain to the susceptible host?
Immunisations
Treatment of underlying disease
Health insurance
Patient education
Ways to break the chain to the mode of transmission
Hand hygiene
Personal protective equipment
Food safety
Cleaning. disinfection, sterilisation
Isolation
What is cleaning?
Physical removal of organic material and decrease in microbial load
What is Disinfection?
Large reduction in microbe numbers - spores may remain
What is Sterilisation?
Removal/destruction of ALL microbes and spores
What are methods of Sterilisation?
Steam under pressure (autoclave)
Hot air oven
Gas (ethylene dioxide)
Ionising Radiation
What is the method of Cleaning?
Manufacturer’s instructions
Detergent and water
Drying is an important part of the process!
Cleaning essential PRIOR to disinfection and sterilisation if these are required
