infection control safety

What are the main types of personal protective equipment (PPE)?

Gloves, masks/respirators, eye protection (goggles/face shields), and gowns. PPE protects the nurse and patient from exposure to infectious material.

What should you know about gloves and gowns?

Wear/change gloves as needed and consider latex allergies. Gowns protect skin/clothing and may be fluid-resistant or fluid-proof.

What are the four transmission-based precautions?

Droplet, airborne, contact, and neutropenic precautions. Also consider patient placement, PPE, limiting transport, and dedicated/disposable equipment.

What are droplet precautions?

Precautions for infections spread through respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing, or talking. Use appropriate mask/PPE and perform hand hygiene.

What are airborne precautions?

Precautions for very small infectious particles that remain suspended in air. Perform hand hygiene and wear an N95 respirator or PAPR before entering.

What are contact precautions?

Used when infection spreads by direct or indirect contact. Perform hand hygiene and wear a gown and gloves.

What are neutropenic precautions?

Precautions designed to PROTECT an immunocompromised patient from infection. Strict hand hygiene, avoid sick visitors/personnel, and limit infection sources such as plants/fresh produce.

What is the key difference between isolation and neutropenic precautions?

Droplet, airborne, and contact precautions mainly prevent infection from spreading FROM the patient; neutropenic precautions protect the vulnerable patient FROM infection.

What patient bracelet alerts are shown in the slides?

Fall risk, allergy, latex allergy, DNR, and limb alert. Always check bracelets/precaution signs before providing care.

What safety steps should you follow when approaching a patient?

Assemble equipment, wash hands, introduce yourself, verify identity, explain care, survey hazards, check precautions, provide privacy, and raise the bed.

How should a nurse verify a patient's identity?

Use the patient's name and date of birth before beginning the assessment or procedure.

What does IAPP stand for?

Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, Auscultation: look, feel, tap, and listen.

What is inspection?

Assessment through observation. Note physical characteristics/behavior, odors, age/gender, alertness, body size/shape, skin color, hygiene, posture, and comfort/anxiety.

What is palpation?

Using touch to assess texture, temperature, moisture, size, shape, location, position, vibration, crepitus, tenderness, pain, and edema.

What are the finger pads used for during palpation?

Fine discrimination: pulses, small lumps, skin texture, and edema.

What are the palmar surfaces/finger joints used for during palpation?

Assess firmness, contour, position, size, pain, and tenderness.

Which parts of the hand are used for temperature and vibration?

Dorsal/back surface of hand = temperature. Ulnar/pinky side = vibration/tremors and air movement in the lungs.

What is the difference between light and deep palpation?

Light palpation is about 1 cm deep for superficial characteristics. Bimanual deep palpation is about 2–4 cm deep for deeper structures.

What is light palpation especially appropriate for?

Surface characteristics such as texture, surface lesions/lumps, and inflamed skin, such as around an IV site.

What is percussion?

Tapping the body to produce sounds or elicit tenderness; the sound gives information about the tissue underneath.

What is the difference between direct and indirect percussion?

Direct: tap fingers directly on the skin. Indirect: place the nondominant hand on the body and tap against it.

What are the five percussion tones and where are they heard?

Flat = bone; dull = organs; resonant = lungs; hyperresonant = diseased lungs; tympanic = gas/stomach.

How do percussion sounds differ?

Flat = soft/high pitch; dull = moderate/high pitch; resonant = loud/low pitch; hyperresonant = very loud/low pitch; tympanic = loud/high pitch.

What is auscultation?

Listening to sounds produced by organs/tissues to assess function. Common areas include blood pressure, lungs, heart, and abdomen.

What words may describe sounds heard during auscultation?

Crackles, gurgles, swooshing, knocking, intermittent, lub-dub, rhythmic, rustling, and wispy.

When do you use the diaphragm versus bell of a stethoscope?

Diaphragm = high-pitched sounds such as heart, lung, and abdominal sounds. Bell = low-pitched sounds such as abnormal heart sounds and arterial bruits.

What are important rules for using a stethoscope?

Place it directly on skin, not over clothing. Hold the end piece between the index and middle fingers rather than placing fingers on top of it.

What special assessment equipment should you know?

Ophthalmoscope = internal eye; Snellen chart = visual acuity; otoscope = ear canal/tympanic membrane; tuning fork = hearing loss/vibration sense; reflex hammer = reflexes.

What is the MOST important action for preventing the spread of infection?

Proper hand hygiene. Use alcohol-based sanitizer or handwashing depending on the situation; gloves do NOT replace hand hygiene.

What should the nurse do before performing an assessment or procedure?

Explain what will be done, obtain permission when appropriate, provide privacy/modesty, and respect the patient's cultural beliefs.