Test #2 Flashcards
What types of areas do Germs like?
Germs like dark, moist, cold/warm temps
What are some sources of infection?
- hospital elevators
- toilet seats/stalls
- door knobs
What is normal flora?
Germs that reside in us, and make up our mircrobio. It can be disrupted with antibiotics, etc.
What happens when normal flora is impaired?
Gi disruptions
What is our relationship with bugs?
- Symbiotic relationship
- Bugs help us build our immunity and our microbiome
What are the barriers/facilitators when it comes to germs and infections? (10)
- Immunizations
- Diet
- Nutrition
- Age
- Virulence
- Stress
- Comorbidities
- Previous exposure
- Water, sanitation
- Global context
Describe Colonization:
Microorganisms present without host interference or interaction
Describe what occurs when there is an infection:
Host interaction with an organism
What is a surgical wound in the context of infection?
Sterile 0% exposure to bugs, infection
What is a pressure sore in context of infection?
More exposure to bugs, colonization
What are the two definitions of Infectious Disease?
Symptomatic: When host displays a decline in wellness due to the infection
Asymptomatic: When host interacts immunologically with an organism but remains symptom free
What is Localized Infectious Disease?
Infection that is confined to a certain area, not spreading
What is Systemic Infectious Disease?
Infection that affects the entire body, spreading through the rest of the body
What are the phases of Infection? (4)
- Incubation Period
- Prodromal Stage
- Illness stage
- Convalescence
What is the Incubation Period?
When a microorganism has entered your body but you have no symptoms
What is the Prodromal Stage?
Onset of symptoms, not specific symptoms. ex. cough, not feeling well, myalgia
What is the Illness Stage?
Onset of specific symptoms. ex. flu
What is Convalescence?
When the symptoms start to dissolve, and we get back to normal base line
When is an infection likely to spread? During which phase of the course of infection?
Incubation period - you don’t know you are a risk
What is Surgical Asepsis?
- Surgical tools that go into the body
- Complete absence of microorganism
ex. Sterile to Sterile
What is Medical Asepsis?
Extremely clean, not 100% sterile
What is Cleaning?
When cleaning non-critical items such as bp cuffs
What is Disinfection?
Cleaning everything except spores
What is Sterilization?
Cleaning everything
What is the Oligodynamic Effect?
When materials clean themselves over time
ex. Copper and Brass
How are germs spread?
- Contact
- Droplets
- Airborne
What is Nosocomial?
Health care associated infections
What are Health Care Associated Infections (HCAI)?
- infections acquired in a hospital, when admitted for a reason other than that infection
- Includes infections acquired in hospital, but appear after discharge
What are high risk HCAI?
- pneumonia
- wound/surgical
- urinary tract infections
- blood stream infections
What is CBC?
Complete Blood Count
What is C&S?
Culture and Sensitivity
What does Iron Level indicate?
Decreased chronic infection
What is ESR?
- Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate
- it shows inflammation in the body
- Can’t determine where specifically the inflammation is
What is CRP?
- C-Reactive Protein
- Shows inflammation in the body
- Can’t determine where specifically the inflammation is
What is the major mode of transmission in health facilities?
Indirect contact
What is Resident Hand Bacteria?
bacteria that resides on the hand
What is Transient Hand Bacteria?
Bacteria that is acquired by healthcare workers from other clients
What are the 5 steps of Transmission as determined by WHO?
- Organisms present on patients, or have been shed onto objects
- Transfer to the hands of HCW
- organisms survive more than several minutes on the HWC’s hands
- Inadequate or entire omission of handwashing
- contaminated hands come into direct contact with patient or object
When did Safety Culture first appear?
In 1988 after a really big disaster, Chernobal. Nuclear powerplant
Why are safety protocols mandatory?
Because if something was optional, people wouldn’t participate in them, even when it came to safety
What is Safety Culture? (long one)
The product of individual and group values, attitudes, competencies and patterns of behaviour that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of, and organization’s health and safety programmes
How does culture (often) trump policy?
Policy says wash your hands, but the culture influences if people actually do it
How many adverse events occur in hospitals in Canada?
185,000 (injury, disability, death)
How many adverse events are preventable?
70,000
What are the most common adverse events?
- Surgical
- Drug
- fluid related incidences
What are Never events?
A call-to-action, not a demand or an attempt to shame mistakes
What are the Never events for surgery?
- Wrong body part
- wrong pt
- wrong procedure
- foreign object left in pt
What are other Never events that can occur? (4)
- death/harm due to failure to inquire whether a patient has a known allergy to med’n
- Death/harm as a result of wrong route, IV admin of concentrated K+
- any stage 3 or 4 pressure ucler acquired after admission to hospital
- Patient death or serious harm due to uncontrolled movement of ferromagnetic object in an MRI area
What is a Near Miss?
- AKA close call
- Event that could have resulted in unwanted consequences, but did not because either by chance or through timely intervention the event did not reach the patient
Describe a critical incident report of an error:
- Describe incident in as much detail as possible
- describe thoughts, feelings, concerns
- factors that you think contributed directly or indirectly
- impact on yourself, family, others
- what you have learned
Of 2,455 sentinel event, what precent is due to communication errors?
75%
What is SBAR?
Tool for communication
Describe SBAR:
S - Situation (intro; who you are, provide basic details)
B - Background (relevant info to the current problem)
A - Assessment (why we’re calling; done after looking at the client, this is what is going on)
R - Recommendation (what do we want the physician to do)
What is the most common treatment intervention used in healthcare around the world?
Prescription Medications
What is Medication Safety?
Freedom from preventable harm with medication use