INFECTION CONTROL
HPRS 1204
[Link]
HOW DO INFECTIONS SPREAD?
• An infectious agent/pathogen must be • A route of transmission
present • There has to be a way for the pathogen to get to
the new host
• The pathogen must have a reservoir
• air, food, touching, sneezing
• A place to live and grow
• This could be a human, an animal, water, • Portal of entry
parts of the environment • There has to be a way to get inside the new host
• The pathogen must be able to escape the • mouth, nostrils, skin breaks
host • A susceptible host
• Blood, urine, feces, mucus, etc. • Someone that does not have resistance to the
new invader!
AN EXAMPLE OF HOW INFECTIONS SPREAD?
SEASONAL INFLUENZA
Humans are the
Influenza A is the primary reservoir Influenza exits the
pathogen • Birds, pigs, and horses host in a cough or a
also act as reservoirs sneeze
Transmission travels Influenza gains entry The susceptible host
on hands, surfaces, into the eyes, nose is person that has not
and droplets and mouth received their annual
influenza vaccine
AS YOU CAN SEE…
By looking at the chain of infection, there are multiple ways
to prevent infections
Can you name some of them?
Practices utilized by health care professionals are designed
to break the chain.
PREVENTING INFECTION
Three components:
• Stop the infection at the source
• Stop transmission
• Decease susceptibility of the host
HOW TO DECREASE THE SOURCE OF MICROORGANISMS
• Avoid contact with patients and others
when you are sick
• Sneezing and coughing can propel microorganisms
many feet away
• At the very least, wear a surgical mask
Proper Handwashing/Hand Decontaminate surfaces and
Hygiene reusable equipment around patients if you are not feeling
The single most important way to Antiseptics, disinfectants, sterilization
prevent health-care acquired infections well
• You should not be around patients if
you have a fever
HOW CAN I PREVENT TRANSMISSION?
• Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when indicated
• hair covers, gloves, gowns, masks, booties, eye protection
• Follow Isolation Precautions when indicated
• additional precautions when working with patients that have highly contagious diseases
HOW CAN I MAXIMIZE THE RESISTANCE OF THE HOST?
Provide Ensure Decrease VACCINATE
good proper stressors that if possible
hygiene nutrition and weaken the
fluid intake immune
system
HANDWASHING
• 1st line of defense
• When should you wash your
hands/perform hand hygiene?
• When to use which one?
• Nail polish/Artificial nails
Gloves, masks, protective eyewear,
gowns, hair covers, booties
PERSONAL
PROTECTIVE
OSHA requires use and availability
EQUIPMENT
(PPE)
Training and monitoring
GLOVES
• Clean gloves (not sterile) required if
there is the potential to touch blood,
body fluids, secretions, excretions,
contaminated equipment – also mucous
membranes or non-intact skin
• Change gloves in between tasks even
on the same patient
• Remove gloves and wash hands
promptly
MASK AND EYE PROTECTION OR FACE SHIELD
• Wear to protect mucous
membranes of eyes, nose, and
mouth during procedures and
activities that may generate
splashes or sprays of blood,
secretions or excretions
• If you cover your mouth and nose –
you need to cover your eyes!
GOWN
• Wear a clean, non-sterile gown to protect
your skin and to prevent soiling clothes
during procedures and activities that are
likely to generate splashes or sprays of
blood, body fluid, secretions, etc.
• Remove promptly and wash hands!
Standard (Universal) precautions are
for every patient – all the time!
WHAT • Hand hygiene
PRECAUTIONS • PPE if you anticipate contact with blood or
body fluids
DO I NEED TO • Gloves, gown, mouth – nose – eye protection,
TAKE? cough etiquette (what is this?)
Care of equipment, environment,
textiles and laundry
TRANSMISSION BASED PRECAUTIONS
Recommended by
the CDC for They are meant to
patients with be used in
documented or addition to
suspected to be standard
infected with precautions!
certain pathogens.
AIRBORNE PRECAUTIONS
• Airborne droplets or dust particles • PPE requirements:
can hold the infectious agent in the • N95 or higher-level respirator required
air for a long time • Gloves
• Patients must be placed in a • Diseases:
negative pressure room • TB, measles, and chicken pox
DROPLET PRECAUTIONS
• Infectious agent propelled by • PPE requirements:
talking, sneezing, coughing, certain • A surgical mask
procedures • Gloves
• Deposited on hosts eyes, nose, mouth • Diseases:
• For some forms of pneumonia,
meningitis, strep infections, mumps,
influenza, rubella
CONTACT PRECAUTIONS
• Most frequent mode of transmission • PPE requirements:
• Direct/indirect • Gown
• Gloves
• Diseases:
• GI, respiratory, skin and wound
infections
• Herpes, impetigo, scabies, MRSA
ENHANCED PRECAUTIONS
• These are precautions reserved for extremely contagious/dangerous infections
such as viral hemorrhagic fevers (ie. Ebola, Marburg)
• Refer to the CDC website
NEUTROPENIC
PRECAUTIONS
• For patients susceptible to infections
• Protects the patient
• “Reverse Isolation” – cancer,
chemotherapy, radiation
• Visitors limited, no fresh unwashed fruit
or vegetables, no flowers or plants, no
raw eggs or yogurt, no sources of
stagnant water
DONNING AND
DOFFING OF PPE
• Lab instructors will cover this
part!
• Pages 232 to 235 in your
book!
ACCIDENTAL EXPOSURE
Any injury or accident
involving exposure to Thorough washing of the
blood or body fluids must affected area
be reported
Incident/injury report Follow-up
WHAT ARE THE DANGERS TO ME?
Covid-19
Influenza
Hepatitis B
HIV
TB
Drug resistant organisms
DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS WASTE
Essential for Hazardous waste
maintaining a containers Red bag trash Double bagging
safe environment
NEEDLE SAFETY
• Never recap
• Do not remove used needles
• Do not bend, break, or manipulate
needles by hand
SAFE WORK PRACTICES VIDEO-14MINS
• [Link]
practices-
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