Test 2 Flashcards
What is a Health Care Associated Infection?
An infection acquired during a patient’s stay in a healthcare environment, that was not present at the time of admission
what can health care associated infection (nosocomial infection) lead to?
- Increased length of stay
- Increased wait times
- Increased morbidity and mortality
- Increased number of antibiotic resistant organisms
- Decreased confidence in the healthcare system
What are Routine Practices?
Infection control measures that are to be used with EVERY patient during ANY/EVERY type of care
what is used to prevent and control the transmission of infections
- Screening
- Assessing the risk of infection before EVERY patient encounter
- Performing hand hygiene at the correct times
- Wearing appropriate PPE
- Environmental and administrative controls
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Equipment that you wear to help prevent the transmission of infections agents between staff and patient
how do you decide what PPE is required?
The choice of PPE to use is decided based on the risk assessment that is to be done before EVERY patient interaction.
when are gloves used?
possibility of coming into contact with:
- Tissue, blood or body fluids
- Non-intact skin
- Mucous membranes
- Soiled equipment or surfaces
- Using cleaning chemicals
when do you wear a gown?
Used when you anticipate that your care activity may contaminate your clothing
yellow gowns
most commonly used
blue gowns
used for chemotherapy
when are masks and eye protection worn?
- activities may generate splashes or sprays of blood or body fluids
- within 2 meters of a coughing patient
- high risk respiratory procedure
when MUST masks and eye protection be worn?
Must wear during high risk (aerosol generating) respiratory procedures regardless of whether or not the patient has symptoms of infection
what are examples of high risk respiratory procedure?
- Use of bag-valve mask
- Endotracheal intubation
- Thoracostomy
- Bronchoscopy/endoscopy
- Tracheostomy suctioning/replacement
what are N95 masks worn?
specifically fit to the bone structure of your face. They have a tight seal that prevents any sort of droplets entering your respiratory system.
when are N95 masks worn?
airborne diseases
what is the paramount importance in health care to reduce the spread of germs and diseases?
hand hygiene
what is the single most important factor in preventing the spread of infection in healthcare?
HAND HYGIENE
Alcohol-based hand rub
- more effective
- faster (15 seconds)
- easier on skin
soap and water
- less effective
- longer (20-25 seconds)
- dries out skin
when would you use alcohol-based hand rub?
when hands are not visibly soiled
when would you use soap and water?
- visibly soiled hands (blood, dirt)
- exposure to spore forming bacteria
- after using restroom
what is the first line of defence against organisms?
intact skin
how do you reduce skin dryness and irritation?
- use warm (not hot) water
- rinse thoroughly and pat hands dry instead of rubbing them
- use facility provided lotion frequently
- always protect your hands from chemicals and extreme conditions
why is using lotion at work required rather than your own lotion?
hospital lotion doesn’t break down the ABHR
what factors impact hand hygiene?
- Skin condition
- Keep nails short and clean
- Remove rings and bracelets and watches
- Do not wear artificial nails
- Remove chipped nail polish
- Make sure that sleeves are pushed up and do not get wet
In aseptic hand wash, what is the preparation?
- remove watch, rings, e.t.c
- get paper towel ready
- position self so as to not touch the sink
In aseptic hand wash, what is the wash?
- wet hands thoroughly
- keep hands lower than elbow
- apply soap
- lather well using firm, circular motion
- wash forearms, palms, back of hands, and wrists for 20 seconds
- wash sides of fingers/thumbs (milking technique)
- clean under fingernails using thenar eminence to rub nails
what is the clean area on the body when washing hands?
forearm
what is the dirty area on the body when washing hands?
fingers
in aseptic hand wash, what is the rinse?
- starting at forearms, allowing water to run down over hands
- turn hands over (wrist side up) and repeat
- remember to hold hands lower than elbows
in aseptic hand wash, what is the dry?
- do not shake excess water
- use paper towel to dry thoroughly from fingertips to elbows
- turn off taps with paper towels
- remember to stand away from sink, its contaminated
what is the ABHR handwashing technique?
- Apply a dime-sized amount of product into the palms of DRY hands
- Rub product into hands for 15 seconds
- Continue rubbing until hands are dry
- Do not wipe any off
- Ensure hands are completely dry before performing another task
patient zone
Everything in immediate proximity to the patient.
healthcare zone
Everything outside of the patient zone.
what are the 4 moments of hand hygiene?
- before initial patient environment contact
- before aseptic procedure
- after body fluid exposure risk
- after patient environment contact
The most common mode of transmission of infectious organisms in a hospital setting is
contaminated hands of healthcare workers
what does additional precautions mean?
Infection prevention and control methods to be used in addition to the Routine Practices
-What is used is based on the mode of infection transmission
when do you start additional precautions?
as soon as the patient exhibits symptoms that are suggestive of an infection
when do you stop additional precautions?
they are to always be used in addition to Routine Practices and must remain in place until there is no longer any risk of transmission
why should AP patients be frequently assessed?
so your not using AP any longer than necessary
what are some examples of additional precautions?
- special accommodations and signage
- barrier equipment (PPE)
- dedicated equipment
- additional cleaning
- limited transport
- communication of the patient’s isolation status
what are some examples of special accommodations and signage?
- single room with private bathroom
- patient room with an anteroom
- patients under the same precautions can be in the same room
- signs are outside the room or on chart indicating types of precautions
what are the types of precautions?
- Standard or Universal Precautions (Routine)
- Contact Precautions
- Droplet Precautions
- Droplet/Contact Precautions
- Airborne Precautions
- Reverse Isolation
what is direct contact?
occurs through touching
what is indirect contact?
touching contaminated objects in the environment
what are examples of contact transmission diseases?
- Antibiotic resistant organisms (MRSA, VRE)
- Gastroenteritis (Rotavirus, C-diff)
- Lice, Scabies
- Viral meningitis
- Hepatitis A
what PPE do you wear for contact transmission?
gloves and gown
what PPE do you wear for droplet-contact transmission?
- mask with face shield or goggles when within 2 meters of patient
- gloves and gown