
Basic principles of infection control
- Apply good basic personal hygiene with regular appropriate hand washing.
- Cover existing wounds with waterproof dressings.
- Do not undertake invasive procedures if suffering from chronic skin lesions on the hands, such as eczema or dermatitis.
- Wear non-latex clinical gloves at all times when assisting in the surgery, and discard after single use.
What are the steps 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 are the guidelines for infection control?
- Abstract. With the advent of highly sensitive real-time PCR, multiple pathogens have been identified from nasopharyngeal swabs of patients with acute respiratory infections (ARIs).
- Introduction. ...
- Methodology. ...
- Results. ...
- Discussion. ...
- Data availability. ...
- References. ...
- Acknowledgements. ...
- Author information. ...
- Ethics declarations. ...
What is the goal of infection control?
The two basic goals of infection control are to protect the patient and health care personnel from infection. Infection control starts with standard precautions. Standard precautions are the methods recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for preventing the transmission of infections.
What are the principles of infection prevention?
- Hands should not be visibly dirty.
- Make sure that the handrub covers all surfaces (including the back) of your hands.
- Rub your hands together vigorously, remembering your fingertips, thumbs and the areas between your fingers.
- Rub your hands together until they are dry.

What are the 5 basic principles for infection control?
IPC ProceduresBasic Principles.Hand hygiene.Standard precautions.Isolation of patients.Hierarchy of controls.
What are the 10 principles of infection prevention?
What are the Standard Infection Control Precautions?Hand Hygiene. ... Placement and Infection Assessment. ... Safe Management and Care of Environment. ... Safe Management of Equipment. ... Safe Management of Linen. ... Personal Protective Equipment. ... Respiratory and Cough Hygiene. ... Safe Management of Blood and Body Fluids.More items...•
What are the 2 underlying principles of infection control?
There are 2 tiers of recommended precautions to prevent the spread of infections in healthcare settings: Standard Precautions and Transmission-Based Precautions.
What does it mean by principles of infection control?
The general principles of infection control include universal precautions, also sometimes referred to as standard precautions. These principles are based on assessed risk, and make use of common-sense practice and personal protective equipment (PPE).
What are the minimum basic infection principles called?
Standard precautions are the minimum infection prevention and control practices that must be used at all times for all patients in all situations. Transmission-based precautions are used when standard precautions alone are not sufficient to prevent the spread of an infectious agent.
What is the main way to prevent infection?
Good hygiene: the primary way to prevent infectionsWash your hands well. ... Cover a cough. ... Wash and bandage all cuts. ... Do not pick at healing wounds or blemishes, or squeeze pimples.Don't share dishes, glasses, or eating utensils.Avoid direct contact with napkins, tissues, handkerchiefs, or similar items used by others.
What are the 3 methods of infection control?
Infection control standard, contact, droplet and airborne precautions.
What is the most important infection control concept Why?
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.
What is infection prevention and control?
Infection prevention and control is the application of microbiology in clinical practice. Infection can be caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses or prions and can affect almost all body systems.
How does breaking a link in the chain of infection control the risk of infection?
Breaking a link at any point in the chain will control the risk of infection by preventing the onward transmission of microorganisms. Opportunities to break the chain of infection.
What are the opportunities to break the chain of infection?
Opportunities to break the chain of infection. Transmission may be interrupted when: The infectious agent is eliminated, inactivated or cannot survive in the reservoir (E.g. rapid identification and management of organisms, cleaning and disinfecting of the environment) The portal of exit is managed through good infection prevention ...
What is the process where an infectious agent invades and multiplies in the body tissues of the host?
Infection. Infection is the process where an infectious agent (microorganism) invades and multiplies in the body tissues of the host resulting in the person developing clinical signs and symptoms of infection (E.g. Increased temperature, rigors, rash). Healthcare Associated Infection.
Why is it important to have a clear understanding of the role of staff?
It is important that all members of staff have a clear understanding of their role in preventing the spread of infection. Staff should be familiar with the policies/guidelines and procedures that are in place to prevent and control infection and receive appropriate training and supervision. Records of Infection prevention & control training should ...
What is the difference between colonization and infection?
Colonisation is when microorganisms, including those that are pathogenic, are present at a body site (E.g. on the skin, mouth, intestines or airway) but are doing no harm and are not causing symptoms of infection. The person colonised is also called ‘a carrier’.
Should records of infection prevention and control training be kept?
Records of Infection prevention & control training should be kept and used for updating and refresher courses should be considered. Courses should be mandatory and all staff, including nursing and medical staff, should attend.
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What is an infection preventionist?
The CMS requires hospital infection prevention programs to designate at least one individual as the infection control officer, or infection preventionist. Most hospitals employ a nurse, clinical laboratory scientist, microbiologist, or communicable disease epidemiologist to serve as the infection preventionist. Hospitals must demonstrate this individual’s qualifications through documentation of training and education, experience, or certification. Certification in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC) is obtained through successfully completing a written examination administered by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC). Certified infection preventionists must renew their certification every 5 years by successfully completing a computer-based self-assessment test.
What is the importance of HAI prevention?
Knowledge gained through HAI surveillance, outbreak investigations, and laboratory research has contributed to the dramatic evolution of HAI prevention science since the inception of infection control programs during the 1970 s. Organizations such as the APIC and the CDC have developed evidence-based prevention guidelines based on that knowledge to improve patient safety by reducing HAI occurrence.
What is surveillance in health care?
Surveillance is the process of collecting and analyzing data regarding HAIs and other health care-associated events to monitor trends in occurrence and to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies implemented to prevent adverse events and increase positive patient outcomes. Surveillance is the foundation of quality assurance, performance improvement, and prevention activities and is a major activity of the infection preventionist.
