Download Infection_control

ELEMENTS OF COMPETENCY
 Identify risks of infection
 Apply standard infection control procedures
as part of work routine
 Recognise situations when additional
infection control procedures are required
 Identify other sources of infection
 Assess levels of risk
INFECTION CONTROL
 Staying alert
 Assessing the situation
 Following your facilities policies and
procedures
 Always exercise good hygiene practices
 Using protective equipment
 Following safe work practices
CLINICAL WASTE
 Is anything that has the potential to cause
sharps injuries, infection or offence.
 EG. Sharps, human tissue, bulky body fluids
and blood, visibly blood stained fluids and
visibly blood stained disposable material and
equipment.
DISPOSING OF CLINICAL WASTE
 Ensure bags have sufficient strength
 Do not overfill bags
 Bags tied or sealed and stored in a secure
place
 Should not be transported in chutes
 Should be yellow with biohazard symbol
 Always wear gloves when handling clinical
waste and containers.
WHAT IS AN MSDS
MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET
Suppliers are required to provide labels for and
on containers and a material safety data
sheet for hazardous substances they supply.
REMEMBER
 Read the label
 Look for risk and safety phrases
 Look for signal words and symbols
 Follow the safety instructions
 Use only as directed
Storage of chemicals
 If you must decant the new container should be
labelled with risk and safety phrases.
 Must not come into contact with food
 Stored in secure, locked cupboard
 If flammable store away from heat
INFECTION
The invasion of the body by pathogenic agents
with the subsequent multiplication and
production of disease
NOSOCOMIAL INFECTION
An infection that develops during hospitalisation
that was not present or incubating at the time
of admission.
5-10% of patients will acquire a nosocomial
infection.
 Urinary tract infection
 Skin infections
 Respiratory infections
MICROBIOLOGY
The study of micro-organisms too small to be
seen without the aid of a microscope.
MICRO-ORGANISM
Any microscopic plant or animal cell, often a
bacterium.
Eg. Rickettsia
Clamydia
Protozoon
Virus
PATHOGEN
A disease producing agent usually restricted to
a living agent.
STERILE
Free from micro-organisms
DISINFECTION
A process that eliminates many or all microorganisms except bacterial spores.
STERILISATION
Is the destruction of all living organisms,
including spores.
Eg. Steam under pressure
Dry heat sterilisation
Flash sterilisation
COMENSAL ORGANISM
Organisms that normally live in specific sites of
the body without invading the tissues or
causing infection.
They are harmless in their normal site but can
cause infection when transferred to an
abnormal site.
Eg. Escherichia Coli aid absorption of nutrients
in the intestine.
OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTION
Are those which normally colonise the person’s
body without causing illness, but become
pathogenic when the person is susceptible.
Eg. MRSA – Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus
VRE – Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus
STANDARD PRECAUTIONS
They apply to all patients and residents
receiving care in health care facilities,
regardless of their diagnosis or presumed
infection status.
Eg. Handwashing
P.P.E.
Correct disposal of linen, sharps, etc.
ADDITIONAL TRANSMISSION
BASED PRECAUTIONS
Are designed for residents you know or suspect
to be infected with pathogens for which
additional precautions are needed. They are
always in addition to standard precautions.
Eg. Airborne precautions
Droplet precautions
Contact precautions
WINDOW PERIOD
Is the time between first infection and when a
specific test can detect that infection,
therefore an infected person or animal cannot
be detected as infected but may still be able
to infect others.
Eg. HIV window period is 3 months.
INFECTION CYCLE
 Causative organism – Staphylococcus
 Reservoir – nose
 Mode of escape – Sneezing
 Mode of transmission – Droplet
 Mode of entry – on hands of nurse giving
care
 Susceptible host – wound
Conditions favouring growth of
bacteria
 Moisture
 Nutrients
 Correct temperature
 Oxygen
 Correct Ph
 Darkness
SUSCEPTIBLE HOSTS
 The elderly
 Those undertaking invasive procedures
 Those taking immune-suppressing medication
 Those with wounds
 Those with poor cough reflex.
IDENTIFY WAYS INFECTION CAN
BE SPREAD
 Contact – direct or indirect
 Droplet – sneezing, coughing, talking or
suctioning
 Airborne – via air current, sweeping, shaking
out linen
 Transmission based vectors – animals
(rats, birds, dogs, cats) or insects (mosquito,
flies, ticks)
IDENTIFY WAYS YOU CAN
BREAK THE INFECTION CYCLE
 USING STANDARD PRECAUTIONS – hand
washing, wearing PPE, correct disposal of
contaminated items.
 USING TRANSMISSION BASED
PRECAUTIONS – single rooms, separate
ventilation, single use or individual utensils,
limiting numbers of visitors.
HAND WASHING PRACTICAL