7 Infection Control Procedures You Need To Follow
- 1: Hand Hygiene for Staff and Patients The hands of patients and healthcare staff are the main pathways of germ transmission in most facilities. ...
- 2: Clean and Disinfect Surfaces ...
- 3: Staff Should Take Contact Precautions ...
- 4: Investigate All Outbreaks ...
- 5: Protect against Airborne Infections ...
- 6: Place Patients Strategically ...
- 7: Monitor HVAC Systems ...
Full Answer
What are the principles of infection control?
What is the infection control procedure?
- Infection control in the workplace aims to prevent pathogens being passed from one person to another.
- The foundation of good infection control is to assume that everyone is potentially infectious.
- Basic infection control procedures include hand washing and keeping the workplace clean.
What are the requirements for infection control?
Eligibility Requirements. Professionals in infection prevention and control must meet the eligibility requirements and pass the computer-based initial certification examination to become CIC© certified. Certification in infection prevention and control is valid for five years from the year of successful examination.
What are the methods of infection control?
Workplace safety - infection control
- Transmission of infection
- Assumption of risk. ...
- Workplace infection control – personal hygiene practices. ...
- Food preparation and workplace infection control. ...
- Infection control and workplace cleanliness. ...
- Infection control – disposing of infectious waste. ...
- Workplace infection control – handling contaminated sharps. ...
What do you need to know about infection control?
- Wear gloves
- Apply antiseptic to the client’s upper lip area before and after this procedure
- Use implements that have been disinfected (disposable implements that are assumed to be disinfected should still be in their original packaging)
- Dispose of soiled items appropriately and use proper infection control procedures throughout the procedure
How does infection prevention and control affect health care?
Infection prevention and control effects all aspects of health care, including hand hygiene, surgical site infections, injection safety, antimicrobial resistance and how hospitals operate during and outside of emergencies. Programmes to support IPC are particularly important in low- and middle-income countries, where health care delivery and medical hygiene standards may be negatively affected by secondary infections.
Why invest in all the drivers and facilitators of hand hygiene action in health care?
Investment in all the drivers and facilitators of hand hygiene action in health care to ensure that it occurs at the point of care and other critical...
What is IPC in healthcare?
Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a practical, evidence-based approach preventing patients and health workers from being harmed by avoidable infections. Effective IPC requires constant action at all levels of the health system, including policymakers, facility managers, health workers and those who access health services. IPC is unique in the field of patient safety and quality of care, as it is universally relevant to every health worker and patient, at every health care interaction. Defective IPC causes harm and can kill. Without effective IPC it is impossible to achieve quality health care delivery.
What is the WHO Global Patient Challenge?
The first WHO Global Patient Challenge laid the foundations for the IPC Global Unit, which works to support country capacity-building for IPC action. Through this programme, WHO provides technical assistance for developing local IPC policies and guidelines, performs in-country assessments, convenes meetings focused on guideline development and provides ongoing support for health care providers.
Is IPC a hidden problem?
Much of the work done on infection prevention and control (IPC) is hidden, as by its nature it prevents issues rather than treating them after the fact. However, health care-associated infections (HAIs) are an ongoing problem that no health authority can afford to ignore. To help in this fight, WHO has created a number of programmes and campaigns that set standards for evidence-based recommendations and operating procedures and promote behaviours to limit avoidable infections.
What is infection control?
Infection control refers to the policy and procedures implemented to control and minimize the dissemination of infections in hospitals and other healthcare settings with the main purpose of reducing infection rates. Infection control as a formal entity was established in the early 1950s in the United States. By the late 1950s and 1960s, a small number of hospitals began to recognize healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and implemented some of the infection control concepts. This activity reviews the types of infection control methods and their indications and highlights the role of the interprofessional team in following principles of infection control to improve outcomes.
What are the challenges of infection control?
Infection control has many challenges especially with the increasing number of hospitalized patients, a greater prevalence of invasive technologies, and a higher prevalence of immunocompromised patients [20]. Poor infection control programs lead to increased rates of infections, increase the likelihood of multidrug-resistant bacterias, and increases the risk of outbreaks in specific departments that might disseminate to the entire hospital and community. Resources are one of the major limitations in achieving an optimal infection control program; hospital epidemiologists should consider the balance between cost, clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and economic impact when considering new interventions. Hospital epidemiologists also need to assess the latest evidence-based literature to make certain that all infection control policies are up-to-date and to monitor the newly emerging multidrug-resistant pathogens. The major direct complication of an inappropriately managed infection control program is infection risk for the patient. Patients might be at risk for bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic infection. If the infection is severe, it can spread to the bloodstream leading to sepsis and possible septic shock which are life-threatening. All healthcare workers have a duty to prevent infection and maintain an aseptic environment when possible. Nursing is on the front lines of this issue, since they routinely have the highest level of contact with the patient, and have access to all aspects of the facility; their observations and recommendations should be taken seriously by all members of the interprofessional healthcare team. The most basic preventive method is by washing hands.
What is the purpose of surveillance?
Surveillance: The primary aim of surveillance programs is to assess the rate of infections and endemic likelihood. Generally, hospitals target surveillance for HAIs in areas where the highest rate of infection is, including intensive care units (ICUs), hematology/oncology, and surgery units. However, surveillance has expanded in the recent years to include a hospital-wide based surveillance as it is becoming a mandatory requirement by the public health authorities in multiple states [8]. This change has also been empowered by the wide implementation of the electronic health records in most hospitals in the United States, and now it is easy for any medical provider to access the electronic records at patients’ bedside and assess risks and surveillance data for each patient. Most hospitals have developed sophisticated algorithms in their electronic health systems that could streamline surveillance and identify patients at highest risk for HAIs. Hence, a hospital-wide surveillance targeting a specific infection could be implemented relatively easily. Public health agencies require that hospitals report some specific infections to strengthen the public health surveillance system [9].
What is the role of an epidemiologist in a hospital?
The epidemiologist generally oversees the infection prevention program and in some cases the quality improvement program. A physician with a subspecialty in infectious disease usually holds the position [6]. A registered nurse with a background in clinical practice, epidemiology, and basic microbiology typically hold the infection preventionist title. Hospitals can have multiple infection preventionists depending on the number of beds available, mix of patients, and the Center for Disease Contol and Prevention (CDC) recommendations [7]. The last aspect of a functioning infection control program is the infection control committee, which consists of an interprofessional group of clinicians, nurses, administrators, epidemiologist, infection preventionists and other representatives from the laboratory, pharmacy, operating rooms, and central services. The responsibilities of this committee are to generate, implement, and maintain policies related to infection control [7].
What are droplet precautions?
Droplet precautions: Used for patients with known or suspected infections that can transmit by air droplets through the mechanism of a cough, sneeze, or by talking. In such cases, it is vital to control the source by placing a mask on the patient, use standard precautions plus limitation on transport and movement. Patients with respiratory tract infection in infants and young children, petechial or ecchymotic rash with fever, and meningitis are placed under droplet precautions.
What is the most important precaution in preventing infection transmission?
The most significant precaution that is effective in preventing infection transmission is hand hygiene. This is achieved by washing hands with soap and warm water and/or by hand rubbing with alcohol or nonalcohol based hand sanitizer. Gloves can also be used as a standard precaution, new gloves have to be used for each patient and must be disposed of after each patient interaction. Other personal protective equipment includes facial protection (procedure/surgical masks, goggles, face shield) and gown before entering the patient's room. Infection control equipment also includes the housekeeping tools where adequate and routine disinfection of surfaces and floors are implemented. Also, linens have to be handled and transported in a manner which prevents skin and mucous exposure by using the appropriate personal protective equipment.
What are the most important pathogens that need airborne precautions?
The most important pathogens that need airborne precautions are tuberculosis, measles, chickenpox, and disseminated herpes zoster. Patients with suspected vesicular rash, cough/fever with pulmonary infiltrate, maculopapular rash with cough/coryza/fever need to be under airborne precaution.
What is the WHO's approach to infection control?
The World Health Organization (WHO) establishes infection control guidelines that give practitioners around the world a methodology by which to manage any infectious disease to prevent its spread, as well as how to handle the environment in which it exists.
What are the systems of healthcare?
Most healthcare facilities are complex systems that include not just hospital rooms and medical staff, but also ventilation and water systems, waste management systems, and laundry and lab systems. The WHO infection control guidelines provide both the theoretical principles of infection control within each separate system ...
What are environmental management practices?
Environmental management practices; Caring for health care workers, and. Precautions in special circumstances. 1. Infection Control Medical Practices. These guidelines address the concerns that arise when medical personnel are in direct contact with an infected person.
What are the practices to be carried out for infection control?
The practices to be carried out for infection control include proper scrubbing procedures for both patient and the operator, specific protocols to be followed by the operating personnel at the time of procedures, proper handling of the instruments and maintaining an aseptic environment throughout the procedure.
What is a standardized test preparation of bacterial spores used to demonstrate effective sterilizing conditions?
A standardized test preparation of bacterial spores used to demonstrate effective sterilizing conditions by providing a defined resistance to a specific sterilization process.
What is a drug that kills microorganisms?
A substance (or drug) capable of killing microorganisms or inhibiting their growth, in particular, pathogenic microorganisms. This is a general term used to encompass those drugs that specifically act on certain types of microorganisms, including antibacterial (antibiotics), antifungal, antiviral, and antiprotozoal agents.
What is the process in which microbial agents on a living surface are either killed or their growth is arrested?
Antisepsis. It is the process in which microbial agents on a living surface are either killed or their growth is arrested. Antiseptic. These are the substances applied on the living tissues to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, and putrefaction by inhibiting the activity or growth of the microorganisms.
How long should you lathe with antimicrobials?
The same process is to be repeated for other arm and hand. The rubbing should be done for a period of 3–5 min.
Is sterilization more effective than disinfection?
Any failure in the removal of the visible soil at the initial stage can create a discrepancy in the efficacy of the subsequent disinfection and sterilization procedures. Sterilization is more effective a process than disinfection. The process of disinfection is carried out with the use of various chemical agents.