Test 4: Infection Control Flashcards
What are the three elements necessary for human disease transmission?
1) A reservoir of infectious agent
2) Types of infectious disease microorganisms:
-Viruses, bacteria, fungi (most common)
-Parasitic organisms and prions
3) A susceptible human host
What are the links in the chain of infection that are most susceptible to interventions?
-Controlling or eliminating the pathogen at its source
-protecting portals of entry
-supporting the host’s defenses
What are Standard Precautions?
Basic level of infection control protocols that reduce the risk of disease transmission when providing patient care.
-Hand hygiene
-Personal protective equipment (PPE)
-Respiratory hygiene
-Safe injection practices
-Equipment and environmental cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization
What are ways that healthcare workers can strengthen the links of the chain of infection?
-practicing frequent hand hygiene
-being up to date on vaccinations
-staying at home while sick
-following recommendations for standard and contact isolation
-utilizing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)
-cleaning and disinfecting the environment
-sterilizing medical equipment
-following safe injection practices
What is Hand Hygiene?
The practice of removing microorganisms from hands.
-Significantly reduces the incidence of infection
-Gloves removed after contamination
-Alcohol-based sanitizer available in anesthetizing area
-Targeted cleaning anesthetizing area during/after each case
What is PPE?
Specialized clothing or equipment worn for protection against contamination.
-Protects the patient and the healthcare provider
-N95 respirators should be fit-tested (Covid-19)
-Always perform hand hygiene prior to and after removing PPE (except for respirators)
-Guidelines on how to properly wear/remove/dispose of PPE
What are the three categories of transmission-based precautions?
-Contact (direct or indirect)
-Droplet
-Airborne
What is the purpose of Contact Precautions?
Prevents transmission of infectious agents spread by contact with the patient or environment.
What is the purpose of Droplet Precautions?
Prevents transmission of infectious agents spread by close contact with respiratory secretions. (3 ft)
-Small liquid particles (>5 microns in size) of infected saliva or mucus expelled from an infected person’s mouth and/or nose during coughing or sneezing, which eventually are inhaled into the airway of an uninfected host, usually requiring close contact.
What is the purpose of Airborne Precautions?
Prevents transmission of infectious agents suspended in the air. (N95 masks/respirator)
-Very fine (<5 microns in size) airborne particles
-distance of spread depends on the material exhaled by the infected person, air currents, and environmental conditions.
What is Direct Contact transmission?
Transmission of an infectious microbe from an infected person to another person by direct contact with the body, or broken or damaged skin, or mucous membrane of the susceptible host, without any intermediary object.
What are the defenses against direct contact transmission?
-Intact, nondamaged skin
-Mucosal surfaces (include immune system cells)
-Efficacy of these barriers is r/t the host’s immune system function
What is Indirect Contact transmission?
An intermediary object serving as a connecting bridge between an infected human reservoir and susceptible host.
-Most commonly due to the contaminated hands of HCWs !!!!
-Occurs due to poor hand hygiene and not decontaminated equipment
What is the most common bridge of indirect contact transmission?
The Contaminated hands of healthcare workers!!!
What is respiratory hygiene?
Cough etiquette and the appropriate use of isolation precautions to prevent the spread of infection.
-Cover mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing
-Dispose of tissue after use in the waste bin
-Perform hand hygiene following contact with respiratory secretions (with patients)
-Do not perform patient care when infected or ill.
-During times of elevated resp infection incidence, facemasks to patients and providers who are coughing.
List some of the Safe Injection Practices.
-Avoid recapping of needles and discard used needles/syringes into a puncture resistant sharps container.
-Use syringes, needles, and needleless access devices only once, even for the same patient.
-Use infusion, pump syringe, and intravenous administration sets only once.
-Do not use bags or bottles of intravenous solution as a common source of diluent for multiple patients.
-Clean and process intravenous infusion and syringe pumps according to manufacturer recommendations between patients.
-Use 70 percent alcohol to clean the diaphragm prior to access when removing the cap from a new vial.
-Use single-dose vials for medications when possible.
-Dedicate multi-dose vials to a single patient when possible. Use a syringe or needle only once to withdraw medication from a multi-dose vial. Label the date on the multi-dose vial once opened and use/discard within 28 days of opening.
When should equipment be cleaned?
-The anesthesia work area and patient-specific equipment are cleaned between cases and terminally at the end of the day
-Need infection control policy and a method for monitoring compliance
-Minimize personal equipment brought into the OR and patient care areas
How can you prevent the transferring of microbes from the anesthesia machine to the patient?
-Clean anesthesia machine surfaces/knobs with an appropriate germicide between cases and at the end of each day
-Take protective measures to prevent materials stored on the anesthesia machine from becoming inadvertently contaminated by airborne debris (e.g., blood)
-Remove equipment from drawers, clean and disinfect drawers regularly
-Place a clean covering on the top of the anesthesia cart at the beginning of each case
In what two ways can contamination occur with the Anesthesia Delivery System (ADS)?
1) Pathogens can enter via the circuit and gas analysis sampling line
2) Pathogens can enter via the gas monitor
How do you reduce the risk of contamination of the anesthesia machine and the gas sample line and protect the patient from ADS contamination?
-Single patient use of heat and moisture exchange filters (HMEFs) on the distal end of the anesthesia circuit
-Add another filter (ex: one with a viral filtration efficiency of 99.99%) on the expiratory limb to provide backup for any particles that may pass through the airway filter.
What should you do if you suspect that the anesthesia machine is contaminated?
-Remove machine from use
-Consult manufacturer for cleaning and/or sterilization
Is it ok to perform safety checks of equipment?
Performing safety checks is acceptable with proper hand hygiene and laryngoscope blade placed back in clean sleeve.
What can you do as the anesthesia provider to reduce risk of infection?
-Put safety tested equipment back into clean sleeve
-Clean stethoscopes between use
-Clean reusable equipment per manufacturer’s guidelines
-Use disposable equipment when possible
What takes priority over all issues?
Maintenance of oxygenation!!!
How do you avoid the transmission of infection with airway manipulation/intubation?
Double glove for intubation, remove outer gloves after being in the mouth/airway, and then perform necessary actions for airway security and patency.
-Ventilate manually, auscultate breath sounds, and monitor EtCO2.
-Then, when the situation is stable, remove inner gloves, perform hand hygiene, and don clean gloves.
-When it is challenging to change exam gloves or perform hand hygiene, using an Alcohol-Based Hand Rub/sanitizer directly on nonsterile nitrile gloves is an option
-Targeted environmental cleaning of the anesthetizing area after each case
What is the motto for safe injection practices?
1 needle, 1 syringe, only 1 time → prevents the spread of dz & protect providers from disciplinary action/legal recourse
What are the 4 Categories of Aseptic Technique?
1) Equipment
2) Preparation
3) Environmental Controls
4) Contact
What are the guidelines for Equipment precautions of Aseptic Technique?
May include some or all of the following items depending on the procedure:
-Sterile gloves, gown, mask
-Sterile drapes
What are the guidelines for Preparation precautions of Aseptic Technique?
-Antiseptic skin preparation of patient prior to procedure
-Consult manufacturer product instructions for directions and warnings regarding the proper use and application of specific skin antiseptics such as chlorhexidine-alcohol or povidone-iodine.
-Confirm that all instruments, equipment, and devices are sterile.
What are the guidelines for Environmental Control precautions of Aseptic Technique?
-Close doors during operative procedures.
-Minimize unnecessary staff traffic in/out of operating room.