Download Employees who fail to follow established policies

Infection Control for Health
Care and Human Service
Professionals
Dr. BC Farnham & Elizabeth Pugh, LBSW, CM
This program is made possible through a collaborative community-education partnership between The Consortium for Advancements
in Health & Human Services, Inc. and Kindred at Home. The primary goal of this effort is to increase public awareness and access to
hospice and home health through the provision of community-based education. Contact Hours are awarded to professionals who
complete this program by The Consortium for Advancements in Health & Human Services, Inc. (www.cahhs-partners.org)
The Consortium for Advancements in Health and Human Services, Inc. © 2014
Important Information

This education program for healthcare professionals was developed by The Consortium for Advancements in
Health and Human Services, Inc. (CAHHS) and is facilitated by Kindred at Home via a community education
partnership agreement. CAHHS is a private corporation and is solely responsible for the development,
implementation and evaluation of its educational programs. There is no fee associated with receiving contact
hours for participating in this program titled, Infection Control for Health Care and Human Services
Professionals. However, participants wishing to receive contact hours must offer a signature on the sign-in
sheet, attend the entire program and complete a program evaluation form.

The Consortium for Advancements in Health and Human Services, Inc. is an approved provider of continuing
nursing education by the Alabama State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses
Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
The Consortium for Advancements in Health & Human Services, Inc., is approved as a provider of continuing
education in Social Work by the Alabama Board of Social Work Examiners, #0356, Expiration
Date: 10/31/2016.
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In most states, boards providing oversight for nursing and social work recognize contact hours awarded by
organizations who are approved by another state's board as a provider of continuing education. If you have
questions about acceptance of contact hours awarded by our organization, please contact your specific state
board to determine its requirements. Provider status will be listed on your certificate.
CAHHS does not offer free replacement certificates to participants. In the event that CAHHS elects to provide
a replacement certificate, there will be a $20.00 administrative fee charged to the individual who requests it.
Learning Objectives
 Participants completing this educational
program will be able to do the following:
 Discuss OSHA Standards with regards to Infection
Control.
 Discuss basic work practices with regard to Infection
Control.
 Discuss proper hand washing techniques and
disposing of infectious waste.
 Increase knowledge of MRSA and HIV/AIDS.
Infection Control: OSHA
Standards
 The OSHA Blood-borne Pathogens Standard is the
law, which sets forth the specific requirements OSHA
believes will prevent the transmission of blood- born
diseases to healthcare employees.
Blood-borne Pathogens Standard
 Requires Employers to
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Make exposure determinations
Develop a written Exposure Control Plan
Use engineering and work practice controls
Develop a system to evaluate exposure incidents
Provide proper training to staff.
Work Practices
 Hand washing
 Before and after
patient contact
 After removal of gloves
 After contact with blood
or other infectious
materials.
Work Practices
 All personal protective
equipment shall be
 Removed where
contamination occurs
 Placed in designated
area or container for
storage, washing,
decontamination or
disposal
Work Practices
 Used needles and
other sharps shall NOT
be
◦ Sheared, bent, broken,
◦
recapped, or resheathed
Removed from disposable
syringes
Sharps Container
◦ Emptied when 2/3rds FULL
◦ Stored in designated area in
trunk or non passenger
compartment
Work Practices
 Laboratory or Medication Refrigerators
 No food and drink stored
 Temperatures checked daily
 Procedures with blood or other infectious materials
 Performed to minimize splashing, spraying, and
aerosolization
Work Practices
Employees who fail to follow
established policies and procedures
governing occupational exposure to
blood or body fluids are subject to
disciplinary actions in accordance
with organizational-specific
personnel policies.
Hepatitis
“INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVER”
 Caused by a Virus
 Several types of hepatitis
 Most common types
 Hepatitis A
 Hepatitis B
Hepatitis A
 May be from drug or chemical reactions
 Transmitted through
 Fecal-oral route (contaminated with infected feces)
 This means one has eaten food or has drunk water
contaminated with infected feces
 Good hand washing prevents spread
 Usually a brief illness –less serious than B
 Lasts only a few weeks
Hepatitis B
 Also known as HBV
 significant health risk to all health care workers
 300,000 cases occur annually
 10,000 hospitalizations & 800 deaths annually
 4,000 HBV-related liver cirrhosis die annually
 800 HBV-related liver cancer die annually
Hepatitis B
 90% of HBV sufferers recover
 Co-morbidities increase of complications
 CHF
 Diabetes
 Severe Anemia
 750,000 to 1,000,000 carriers of HBV
Transmission of Hepatitis B
 Found in blood, semen, vaginal secretions and body fluids
Common transmission of hepatitis B:
 Needlesticks
 Blood entering cuts & other breaks in skin
 Sexual intercourse
 Sharing of needles
Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus
 HBV can live a WEEK OR
MORE on inanimate objects
 Spills or splashes of blood or body
fluids must be
 disinfected, decontaminated, or
sterilized
Transmission of HBV B
 Transmitted through
 Blood transfusions
 Infected mother to her unborn child
Hepatitis B Carrier
 May appear to have recovered but may have the virus
in his/her blood.
 May also develop serious complications
 Cancer
 Cirrhosis of the liver
Diagnosing Hepatitis B
Symptoms of Hepatitis B
 Fatigue
 Nausea
 Loss of appetite
 Diarrhea
 Vomiting
 Mild fever
 Muscle/joint pain
 Urine may be dark
 Jaundice
 Itching
 Light or tan
colored stools
HEPATITIS B
 Long Incubation Period
 Symptoms Occur One to Five Months After Exposure
 Symptoms May Last One to Six Weeks
Treatment of Hepatitis B
 Virus – no antibiotic will be effective.
 Treat the symptoms.
 Rest and proper nutrition are extremely important.
Hepatitis B Vaccination
 Recommended for ALL health care
workers…Hep B series to ALL
employees
 People at risk of blood or body fluids
exposure
 Not Required but should be offered
 A series of three injections
 Most common side effect is soreness at
site
Preventive Measures
 Standard Precautions MUST BE
Followed When Handling ALL
Blood or Body Fluids
 Hand washing & Use of Hand
Sanitizer
 Use PPE When in Contact with
Blood or Body Fluids
Preventative Measures
 All contaminated
sharps must be
discarded into
appropriate sharps
containers.
 Needles should never
be bent, broken or
recapped by hand.
Post-Exposure Evaluation/Follow-up
 All Incidents of Exposure
Must be Reported
IMMEDIATELY
 If Skin Punctured Cause the
Site to Bleed
 Splash to Mouth or Eyes;
Flush Repeatedly with Warm
Tap Water
Post-Exposure Evaluation/Follow-up
 DO NOT WAIT. Immediate Treatment needed to
Effectively Treat Hepatitis B Exposure
 Post-Evaluation/Follow-up should be provided to any
Employee who is Exposed to Blood/Body Fluids
Hand Washing Technique
 The #1 way to prevent the spread
of infections– Is Effective Hand
Washing!
 Use Warm Water x 30 seconds
 Flow of Water is Wrist to
Fingertips
 Use Soap and Friction
 Avoid touching sink or countertop
 Use paper towel to turn off water.
 Use Hand Lotion to Prevent
Drying of Skin
Infectious Waste
 Sharps Container
 Red Plastic Bags
 Bleach Solution 1:10
 “BioHazard” Label
 Gloves
 Gown
 Mask/shield
Infectious Waste
 Sharps Containers
 Handled as infectious waste
 Needles placed in approved sharps containers and sent for
incineration.
 2/3rd FULL sharps containers are closed
 Taped over the top
 Labeled with the date and the branch name & address
Latex Allergy
 Avoid contact with latex if have a true allergy – may
need to wear medic alert bracelet.
 Latex is in many products other than gloves, such as
Band-Aids, masks, blood pressure cuffs, catheters,
stethoscope, goggles, etc.
Latex allergy continued ……
 Blood test to check for true allergy.
 Make sure to wash hands as soon as gloves are
removed if suspected allergy.
 14% of people experience some type of allergy (due to
proteins from rubber plant, which attach to powder and
can get imbedded in skin)
MRSA – Methicillin Resistant
Staphylococcus Aureus
 “Staph” is common on the skin of healthy people
 Some are resistant to Methicillin, antibiotic of choice in treating staph.
 Colonization – MRSA is present but not causing illness.
 Infection – Usually develops in hospital patients who are
elderly or very sick. Healthy people rarely get MRSA.
MRSA
 If colonized, does not require antibiotics.
 Vancomycin is drug of choice when treating MRSA.
 Hospitals usually isolate MRSA patients.
 Hand washing prevents spread of infection.
 Spreads easily among very sick patients with weak
immune systems
Major Factors that Influence
Immunity
 Hygiene
 Age
 Nutritional status
 Medication
 Stress/fatigue
 Exposure to radiation/chemotherapy
 Heredity/ethnicity
VRE- Vancomycin resistant
enterococcus
 Healthy people usually not at risk
 Individuals with immunosuppression, underlying
disease, presence of indwelling urinary catheter, Gtubes, etc are more susceptible.
 Wash hands thoroughly after contact with VRE patient
or with any items the patient has touched.
AIDS
 Virus (human immunodeficiency virus) causes
AIDS.
 May be infected and show no symptoms with
HIV
 Ways you can become infected with HIV
 Unprotected sexual contact
 Direct exposure to infected blood
 Sharing of needles with an infected person
AIDS
 Long incubation period (2-10) years after initial
infection
 Resembles flu like symptoms ie. headache,
lymphadenopathy, body aches, malaise,
maculopapular rash.
AIDS continued
 Signs and symptoms of HIV infection:
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Fatigue
Mouth sores
Diarrhea
Dry cough
Shortness of breath
Chills
Fever
Night sweats
Questions/
Comments
Evaluations &
Certificates
References

Wilkinson, I. (2005). Infection control: Setting the scene. Retrieved
September 8, 2009, from the following site:
http://www.dh.sa.gov.au/infectioncontrol/DesktopModules/SSSA_Docume
nts/LinkClick.aspx?tabid=118&mid=650&table=SSSA_Documents&field=Ite
mID&id=37&link=infection-control-setting+the+scene-1.pdf.
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Protecting patients from bloodborne pathogens in healthcare settings.
Retrieved September 8, 2009, from the following site:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/bp_patient.html.
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Overview for infection control best practices. Retrieved September 8, 2009,
from the following site: http://www.tahsa.org/files/DDF/ifoview.pdf.