wk 4- cleaning Flashcards
describe the 3 categories of items and the degree of risk in transferring infectious agents to patients
non-critical items- come into contact with intact skin only and require regular cleaning and low level disinfection to remove transient infectious agents
semi critical items come into contact with non-intact skin or mucus membranes. must be disinfected or single use or sterilized prior to use.
critical items come into contact with sterile tissues and body cavities and must be sterile.
transient infectious agents are what
ones that colonies on superficial layers of skin and are picked up and put down on surfaces.
cleaning is defined asand used for what items
removal of organic material that may support the growth and persistence of infectious agents using detergent
used for noncritical items and minimal touch areas like floors
disinfection defined and used for what items/events
destruction and removal of infectious agents resulting in a reduction in the number of living infectious agents to an acceptable level with physical/chemical controls
used for reprocessing noncritical items and high touch areas
sterilisation
results in the complete destruction of ALL living infectious agents. used for reprocessing semi critical and critical items.
must be cleaned (organic material) before sterilised as ingredients could become inactive with organic matter
key word LIVING
chemical agents are only effective if the interaction has the correct 4
contact- free of organic matter
exposure time
adequate concentration
choice of agent
physical control methods to kill/control growth of infectious agents 4
temperature extremes
pressure
filtration
irradiation
temperature extremes as a physical control method
high >100 degrees C and low <4 degrees C temperatures can be used to kill (high) or control the growth of infectious agents (low).
Dry heat - incineration which is broad spectrum and sporicidal.
moist heat more effective than dry heat because water penetrates cells easily.
high temp is not suitable for heat sensitive or molecules.
pressure as a control method
autoclaving (steam under pressure) most commonly used. 121 C, 15 psi, 20 mins. It is broad spectrum and sporicidal.
filtration as a method of control
it sifts infectious agents out of solutions through administrated fluid/medicine. (positive pressure)
irradiation control method
non ionizing radiation- doesn’t remove electrons from atoms/molecules and has low penetrance such as UV light. surface irradiation but not sterilization of dense materials
ionizing radiation- gamma rays that sterilize dense material by removing electrons from atoms and molecules of air, water, liquids and. living tissue.
chemical control methods list 6
alcohols
halogens
quaternary ammonium compounds
phenolics
hydrogen peroxide
aldehydes
when to use autoclaving
extreme temps.
incineration
filtration
radiation
auto- heat/moisture tolerant medical devices/solutions
extreme temps- food
incin- biological waste. left over meds
filtration-heat sensitive solutions
radiation- surfaces (uv) and plastics/medications (ionizing)
alcohols as a chemical control method
at concentrations of 60-90% are highly effective surface disinfectants and antiseptics if air dry.
halogens as chemical control
such as sodium hypochlorite (bleach), iodine and chlorhexidine are broad spectrum and effectively disinfect drinking water, mouthwash, contaminated surfaces and skin. they are inactivated by organic material and are corrosive
quaternary ammonium compounds as chemical control
are cationic agents used for surface disinfection and include hospital grade disinfectants. they are not sporicidal.
phenolics as chemical control
are toxic hard surface disinfectants and are less commonly used
hydrogen peroxide compared to other halogens
is a broad spectrum disinfecting agents that remains active in the presence of high levels of organic contamination
aldehydes
are broad spectrum disinfectants used to reprocess medical equipment including endoscopes. they work in the presence of organic material and are sporicidal.
sporicidal
killing bacterial and fungal spores- kills all forms of life
hand rub is used when and is effective when
hands are not visibly soiled - alcohol based
reduces number of transient infectious agents on hands when it has time to dry. ineffective against spore-forming infectious agents
when hand wash is used
when hands are visibly soiled with soap and water or antimicrobial handwash
when hand wash is used
when hands are visibly soiled with soap and water or antimicrobial handwash
organic material such as blood or other bodily fluid can inactivate or dilute the antimicrobial agent and cause it to be ineffective.
gloves are used when
should be worn when:
-there is a risk of contamination of the healthcare workers hands with blood or body fluids
-indicated by infection control policy for the healthcare facility
-indicated by universal precautions including transmission-based precautions
Gloves should be changed when:
-a new episodes of patient care begins
-during the care of a single patient, to prevent cross-transmission of body sites between treatment activities
Hand hygiene is required with glove use:
-Before donning gloves
-After doffing gloves
-When required glove changes occur during a single patient care episode as per the Five Moments for Hand Hygiene.
why do you clean hands after wearing gloves
Infectious agents reportedly contaminate the hands of healthcare workers during glove removal in up to 30% of cases.
PPE stands for
personal protective equipment
donning of PPE 4
- gown
- mask
- googles
- gloves
doffing PPE 5
- gloves
- goggles
- gown
- mask
- wash hands
if you are sterilising equipment do you need to disinfect prior?
no just clean
