Standard Precautions

Infection Control / Prevention

Standard Precautions

basic infection prevention guidelines used to reduce the risks of infection

Three modes of transmission

Airborne, Droplet, Contact

Diseases that spread by airborne transmission include:

tuberculosis, measles, chicken pox, shingles

Droplet Transmission

germs that are too heavy to remain airborne can drop quickly

Diseases that spread via droplet transmission include:

Mumps, measles (rubella), whooping cough (pertussis), pneumonia, meningitis (specific forms), strep throat

Contact transmission

germs can spread directly or indirectly by contact with (touching) the germ

Diseases spread by contact:

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli (E.coli), wound infections, influenza, impetigo, pink eye, scabies, hepatitis A

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

Bacteria lives on the skin and nasal passages of one-third of the worlds populations and is resistant to certain broad-spectrum antibiotics

MRSA is a form of _________ bacteria.

staphylococcal

Community acquired MRSA typically

produces skin infections

Hospital acquired MRSA can cause

serious lung and bloodstream infections

The best defense against MRSA in hospital settings is

hand washing and the proper use of barrier devices

MRSA is primarily spread on

the hands of health care workers and infected persons

Bloodborne diseases are

Those spread when the blood if an infected person comes in contact with the blood of another person

Three most common diseases spread by bloodborne transmission

HIV, AIDS, and hepatitis

Nosocomial infections

hospital acquired infections contracted as a result of medical treatment; usually manifest within the first 48 hours of treatments

Most common forms of nosocomial forms

UTI, pneumonia, and surgical incision site infections

Transmission of nosocomial infections occurs through

direct contact, indirect contact, droplet infection, common vehicle transmission, vector transmission

Direct contact

person to person

Indirect contact

touching an infected surface treated with improperly sterilized equipment

Common vehicle transmission

food, water or medical devices

Vector transmission

Contact with or bites from an insect or animal

Wash hands ________ and _________ each patient.

Before, after

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worn to prevent contact with potentially infectious body fluids

Nonporous gloves (applied last), masks, gowns, eye protection/face shield

Wash your hands when ever you come in contact with

EVERYTHING

Isolation

Follow each facilities specific isolation protocols; bring everything you need with you, organize/clean all supplies before entering

Isolation PPE: Airborne

Use of a fit-tested N-95 mask (remove after leaving pt room)

Isolation PPE: Droplet

Gloves, Mask & Goggles (remove face protection before leaving pt room)

Isolation PPE: Contact

Gloves & Gown (discard before leaving pt room)

Isolation PPE: Reverse Isolation

Immunocompromised pts. protocol varies and equipment should be disinfected before entering pt room

Isolation PPE: Strict Isolation

Gown, Gloves & Mask (some cases require eyewear, and/or face shield, or respiratory equipment)

Isolation PPE: Enteric Isolation

Gowns & Gloves for direct contact

Environmental Controls

All equipment must be cleaned according to institution’s policies; routine disinfection of environmental surfaces, beds, side rails, blood pressure cuffs, basins, bedpans, and wheelchairs

Infection Prevention: Ultrasound Transducers

Store unused transducers in an enclosed cabinet with date of “clean” recorded

Dispose of ________ gel bottles; do NOT ________.

empty, refill

Disinfect ultrasound machines and transducers-according to ________ classification.

Spaulding’s

Only use disinfection __________ approved products found on the ultrasound manufacturer’s website.

approved

Reprocessing

Includes cleaning, sterilization or disinfection, transport, and storage based on the transducer’s contact with sterile tissue of the body, mucous membranes or non-intact skin, or only intact skin

________ and ________ measures are needed for critical and semi-critical transducers requiring sterilization and HLD but may not be necessary for non-critical transducers requiring LLD.

Documentation, traceability

Document all reprocessing details including but not limited to

The transducer model, serial number, or other unique identifier,, validation result, date/time, and patient identifier

Spaulding’s Classification System of Disinfection: Level 1 “non-critical”

devices (BP cuffs and transducers) used on intact skin; requires low level disinfectant (wipes)

Spaulding’s Classification System of Disinfection: Level 2: “semi-critical”

equipment that contacts mucous membranes (vagina, rectum, or non-intact skin); includes TEE, translational probes that use a sterile probe cover; requires high level disinfectant with specific chemicals

Spaulding’s Classification System of Disinfection: Level 3 “critical”

Instruments and devices that enter sterile body cavities, such as in the OR or biopsies; need to be sterilized

Ultrasound Transducer Reprocessing Guidelines 4 Steps

Cleaning, Disinfection, Storage, Traceability (documentation)

Medical Aseptic Technique

designed to rid an area or object of pathogenic microorganisms

Aseptic technique is so only used in

procedureS that involve puncturing the skin or when placing objects into normally sterile body cavities

All materials in a ________ _________ must be sterile and all objects added must also be _________

sterile field, sterile

Hands in a sterile field must be covered with

sterile gloves

Any sterile field that has been compromised by punctures, tears or moisture is considered

contaminated

Once a sterile package is opened, a _______ border around the edge is considered unsterile

1-inch

If there are any questions about an item’s sterility, it is considered

Unsterile

Never ________ across a sterile field and never ______ ______ ______ on a sterile field

Reach, turn your back

Bring all tables used in sterile procedure up to ______ level to avoid bending over a sterile field.

Waist

All wrapped sterile equipment is sealed with tape stating _______ _____ or with indicator confirming sterilization

expiration dates