Safety & Infection Flashcards
What factors affect safety?
Developmental and individual risk factors
What are some risk factors for injury?
Lifestyle, cognitive awareness, sensory and perceptual status, poor communication, mobility, physical and emotional well being, safety awareness
What are key components of a culture of safety?
Team empowerment, communication, transparency, and accountability
What are common hazards to healthcare workers?
Back injuries, needlestick injuries, radiation injury, and violence.
What is radiation?
The process of emitting radiant energy in the form of waves or particles
What principles should be followed when around radiation?
Time, distance, shielding
What is the acronym for safe sleep and what does it stand for?
ABCD-
A-alone in crib
B - on their back
C- clean, clear crib
D- drug-free home
What are latent conditions?
So-called accidents waiting to happen
What are active failures?
Errors and violations by front-line providers
What are the 2024 hospital National patient safety goals?
ID patients correctly, improve communication, use medicines safely, use alarms safely, prevent infection, ID safety risks, improve healthcare equity, prevent mistake in surgery,
What is infection?
The invasion of and multiplication in the body by a pathogen
Why must we know about infection processes?
to protect patients from infections, meet professional standards and guidelines, protect yourself from disease, help lower the cost of healthcare
What are nosocomics infections?
hospital acquired infections.
How do infections develop?
chain of infection;
Infectious agent
Reservoir
Portal of exit
Mode of transmission
Portal of entry
Susceptible host
What are the 2 types of normal flora?
Transient and resident
What are transient flora?
normal microbes that you acquire by coming in contact with objects or another person
what are resident flora?
permanent habitants of the skin
What are pathogens?
. Microorganisms capable of causing disease
What are the largest groups of pathogens?
Bacteria, viruses, and fungi
What are characteristics of environments supportive to microbes?
Nutrients, moisture, warm, oxygen, pH and electrolytes, darkness
What is a resivoir?
A source of infection: a place where pathogens survive and multiply
What is a portal of exit?
A way out of a resivoir.
EX. bodily fluids, nonintact skin
What are the modes of transmission?
Direct, indirect, droplet, airborne, vectors
What is a portal of entry?
How pathogens can enter the body- normal body openings, cuts, scrapes, surgical incisions
What is a susceptible host?
A person who is at risk for infection
What are local infections?
Infections that cause harm in a limited region of the body - such as upper resp tract
what are systemic infections?
when pathogens invade the blood or lymph and spread throughout the body
what is bacteremia?
bacteria in the blood
What is septicemia?
systemic infection spread via the blood
What are exogenous heath-care related infections?
When the pathogen is acquired from the heath-care environment
What are endogenous health-care related infections?
When the pathogen arises from the patients normal flora
what are acute infections?
Rapid onset but last a short time
What are chronic infections?
Develop slowly and last for weeks, months, or years
What are latent infections?
Cause no symptoms for long periods of time - HIV /TB
What are the stages of infection?
Incubation, prodrome, illness, decline, convalescence
What are primary defenses? - what are the primary defenses of the body?
The first line of defense for the human body- the structural barriers.
Normal flora
Skin
Respiratory tree
Eyes
Mouth
GI tract
GIGU tract
Anus
What are the secondary defenses of the body?
immune system responses- Phagocytosis, complement cascade, inflammation, Fever
What are tertiary defenses of the body?
Active immunity -antibodies,
passive immunity- shots, specific immunity- body learns to recognize and destroy pathogens
What is cellular immunity
immune response that acts to destroy pathogens
What factors increase host susceptibility?
Developmental stage, breaks in 1st line of defense, illness or injury tobacco use, substance abuse, multiple sex-partners, environmental factors, chronic disease, medications
What can nurses work to promote to support host defense?
Nutrition, hygiene, rest and sleep, exercise, stress reduction, immunizations
What is disinfecting?
Removal of pathogens on inanimate objects by physical or chemical means
What is sterilization?
The elimination of all microorganisms (except prions) in or on an object
What are the levels of asepsis?
Sterile technique, modified sterile technique, clean technique
What is a fomite?
A contaminated object that transfers a pathogen
leading cause of death for Preschoolers, School-aged children, and Adolescents?
MVC
How can we prevent falls?
through identification, recognizing physiological changes, medications, and devices
What is safety?
minimizing risk of hurt, injury, or loss
what are standard precautions?
the minimum infection prevention and control practices that must be used at all times for all patients in all situations
