Weeks 1-4 Lab Flashcards
What is the chain of infection?
Transmission
Portal of entry
Host susceptibility
Infection agent
Reservoir
Portal of exit
Infection control
Provides measures that reduce or eliminate sources and transmission of infection.
Protects patients and health care providers from disease.
All parents in any setting are at risk.
Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are acquired in health care settings.
What are the 5 moments of hand hygiene?
- Before initial patient/patient environment contact.
- Before aseptic procedures.
- After body fluid exposure risk.
- After patient contact.
- After contact with patient surroundings.
What is hand hygiene?
- Most important technique for infection control and prevention
-Hand hygiene- Handwashing
- Antiseptic hand rub
- Decision to perform hand hygiene based on:
- Intensity or degree of contact with pts or contaminated objectives
- Amount of contamination with contact
- Susceptibility of infection
- Procedure/activity to be performed
- Wash hands with soap and water when hands visibly soiled or in contact with bodily fluids, and if exposed to spore-forming organisms (Cdiff)
- If hands not visibly soiled, use an alcohol-based hand rub
What is asepsis?
- Asepsis is the absence of pathogenic (disease-producing) microorganisms
- Medical asepsis (clean technique)
- Reduces organisms
- Prevents transfer
- Surgical asepsis (sterile technique)
- Destroys microorganisms and their spores
Evidence-based practice in hand washing
Alcohol-based hygiene products more effective than soap; reduce infections
- With emollients, cause less skin irritation and dryness than soap
Soap and water still necessary
- For visibly soiled hands
- When caring for patients with Clostridium difficile or multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs)
What is the nurse’s role in infection control?
Role modelling
Patient education
Vital role in breaking the chain of infection
What are the safety guidelines in hand hygiene?
- Hand hygiene with an appropriate alcohol-based hand antiseptic or soap and water is an essential part of patient care and infection prevention.
- Always know a patient’s susceptibility to infection.
- Recognize the elements of the chain of infection and initiate measures to prevent its onset and spread.
- Consistently incorporate the basic principles of asepsis into patient care.
- Ensure that patients cover the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing; and use and dispose of tissues properly.
- Use clean gloves when you anticipate contact with body fluids, nonintact skin, or mucous membranes when there is a risk of drainage.
- Use gown, mask, and eye protection when there is a splash risk.
- Protect fellow health care workers from exposure to infectious agents through proper use and disposal of equipment.
- Be aware of body sites where HAIs are most likely to develop (e.g., urinary or respiratory tract, wounds). This enables you to direct preventive measures.
- Practice fingernail hygiene
What items are part of PPE?
Gown
Masks
Goggles
Face shield
Gloves
Bootie covers
Care for a patient under isolation precautions
Use procedures to reduce cross-contamination to other patients
Use standard precautions
All body substances contain potentially infectious organisms
Use recommended isolation precautions
Precautions for normal patients
Used for all patients, regardless of risk or presumed infection status
Apply to blood, blood products, all body fluids, secretions, excretions (except sweat), nonintact skin, and mucous membranes
How does the nurse teach cough etiquette?
Precautions for tier 2 patients
Use for care of patients who are known or suspected to be infected, or colonized, with microorganisms transmitted by the contact, droplet, or airborne route
What is a safe patient environment?
- accurate patient identification is crucial to their safety before carrying out any procedures – use at least two person-specific identifiers
- safety begins with pts immediate environment – bed in low positions, bed alarm activated, use necessary fall prevention strategies, call-light and bed control system allows for some pt autonomy – explain to pts and visitors how to operate the system (use teach back/demonstration)
- be alert to conditions within a pt’s environment that pose risk for injury, items out of reach, hazards along walking paths, liquids spilled on floor, poorly functioning equipment
- do not use work-arounds –
- communicate clearly an in a timely manner to other members of the HC team re plan of care, results, pt response, etc (documentation)
What type of assessment data should you collect about the environment before making a bed?
Bed height
Placement of furniture/chairs/equipment
Curtain open or closed
Wheels on bed-locked?
Check floor for any slip hazards
Adequate lighting
What should we be aware of while changing a bed for the patients environment?
Safety
Comfort
Emotional well-being
Why should nurses be aware of body mechanics?
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are the leading cause of health care provider (HCP) injury (Ontario Nurses Association [ONA], 2016, para 2)
Nurses who handle/move patients are almost 4 times more likely to suffer from low back pain than those nurses who do not handle patients (Yassi & Lockhart, 2013)
What are body mechanics?
Wide stance
Bend at the knees
Keep back, neck, pelvis and feet in alignment
Tighten stomach muscles
Keep weight to be lifted as close as possible to your body
Face direction of movement
Why is bed making important?
Provides comfort for patient
Provides clean environment
Allows for social interaction for patient
Opportunity for assessment
Key concepts in bed making
Raise bed to comfortable working height
Keep clean linens separate from soiled linens
Ensure wrinkles are removed (significant for bed rest only patients)
Maintain privacy of patient
Apply appropriate and safe body mechanics
What are common bed positions?
Supine – bed horizontal with floor
Semi-fowler’s – head of bed (HOB) 30-45 degrees
Fowler’s – HOB 45-90 degrees
Trendelenburg – bedframe tilted with head of bed down
Reverse Trendelenburg – bedframe tilted with foot of bed down
Important things in occupied bed making
This skill is easiest with two people
Position the patient safely while the bed linens are changed
Try to conserve the patient’s energy
Use safe handling techniques
Be aware of any position restrictions (pain, ability, clinical condition)
Be aware of any tubing (IV or wound)
Types of bedmaking
Unoccupied bed
Postoperative surgical bed
Closed bed
