Week 2 Flashcards
What is infection?
“Invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms that reproduce & multiply, causing disease by local cellular injury, secretion of a toxin, or antigen-antibody reaction in the host”
What is infection control?
Preventing or initiating infection from occurring
How do we prevent the spread of infection?
Hand washing
What is an approximate bacteria count on hands (colonies)?
5000-5million colony forming units per square centimetre
What is the percentage of germs that are trapped in deep skin crevices?
10-20%
Worst place for germs to hid?
Fingernails
How many factors are there in the cycle of infection?
6
What are the steps involved in the cycle of infection?
- Infectious gent/pathogenic organism
- Reservoir of infection
- Portal of exit from the reservoir
- Mode of transmission
- Portal of entry to a susceptible host
- A susceptible host
What is a pathogenic organism?
A microorganism capable of causing disease
- Bacteria, virus, fungi, Protozoa
Causes damage to host cells
What is a reservoir of infection?
Somewhere the pathogen can survive and thrive
Provides moisture, oxygen, pH, light, nutrients and adequate temp
Inside human body
Animals, soil, food, water
What is the portal of exit?
Pathogen leaves the reservoir through a portal of exit
What types of portal of exits and entry’s are there?
Bloodstream, skin, wound, respiratory system
What are the modes of transmission?
Contact
Airborne
-droplet
Insects
- flys, mosquitos
Vehicles
-water, blood, drugs, food
Fomites
-bed linen, your watch, eating utensils
What is the portal of entry?
Pathogen enters the host though a portal of entry
Who is a susceptible host?
Normally a patient with a reduced ability to resist infection dependent on:
-how resistant a person is to the pathogen
-the virulence of the pathogen
What are high risk nosocomial infection/healthcare associated infections (HIA)?
Multi drug resistant infections are a high concern
- MRSA & VRE
-Superbug eg CRE
3 facts about HIA
Occur 48hrs or after being admitted to hospital
200,000 patients each year acquire a nosocomial infection in Aus
A hospital acquired or healthcare acquired infection
2 most common acquired infections for healthcare workers
Hepatitis B- body fluids. Causes sickness
Hepatitis C - bodily fluids or needle stick. Causes liver infection
What are the 2 tiers of precautions?
Tier 1: Standard precautions
Tier 2: Transmission-based precautions
What is tier 1?
Standard Precautions
Work practices are required to achieve a basic level of infection control
Recommended for the treatment and care of all patients
Include:
Hand washing, aseptic technique, use of PPE, appropriate cleaning of instruments
Implementation of environmental controls/environmental cleaning
What is routine hand washing?
15-30 seconds before and after every patient
Every sonographer - every patient
Types of hand washing
Routine, aseptic procedures, surgical handwashing
What is aseptic procedures?
1 min before any procedure requiring aseptic technique
What is surgical hand washing?
First wash for the day 5mins
Subsequent washes 3 mins
(Not generally required to be performed by sonographers)
When and why we should wash our hands?
Why: Break the chain of infection & prevent the spread of infection
When: before/after eating
After using toilet
Before/after contact with patients
Before and after use of gloves
After handling any equipment soiled with bodily fluids
What is asepsis and when should the aseptic technique be used?
Asepsis: Absence of pathogens that may cause disease
Aseptic technique: Try to reduce the number of pathogens
Prevent or reduce transmission of these pathogens to our patients
Keep and maintain objects and areas free from pathogens
What is clean and sterile asepsis techniques?
Clean technique is medical asepsis
Sterile technique is surgical asepsis
What does the clean technique do?
Reduce the probability of an infections agent being transmitted to a susceptible host
Hand washing, proper cleaning
What does the sterile technique do?
Equipment is treated with gas, heat or chemicals to remove pathogens (CSSD departments are often located near theatres in hospitals)
Complete removal of al organisms
Sterile fields
Sonographic transducers and cords are often enclosed in sterile plastic bags in theatre
What is PPE and what equipment is there?
Any piece of equipment that can be used for Health & safety precautions
In a medical setting aids to minimise the spread of infection
Included: Gloves, gowns, booties, goggles, face masks
Different situations call for different PPE
How is PPE used?
Put on before contact with patient/before entering room
Use carefully - don’t spread contamination
Remove and discard appropriately immediately after use
Immediately perform hand hygiene
What are tier 2 precautions?
Transmission based precautions
Are tier 1 standard precautions plus further barrier-type precautions
These additional precautions are either:
Airborne isolation
Droplet isolation
Contact isolation
Expanded precautions
Additional precautions
Applied when standard precautions may not be sufficient to prevent the spread of infection
Remember - CRE, VRE, MRSA
These precautions are tailored to the pathogen, eg droplet isolation for diphtheria, airborne isolation for measles, contact isolation for Ebola
Needle stick injuries
Healthcare workers increased risk
Blood-borne disease transmission possible
Observe where used needles go (should be straight in sharps container)
Never recap a needle