Phlebotomy, Phlebotomy Handbook 10th Edition, Chapter 4

chain of infection

pathogen, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, susceptible host

Break the chain of infection

Hand hygiene, sterilizing and disinfecting, handling and disposing of supplies, using isolation precautions, and immunizations

pathogenic

disease causing

Non-disease producing bacteria are called

nonpathogenic bacteria

communicable disease

Infectious microorganism is transmitted to an individual by direct or indirect contact, or as an airborne infection

Blood borne pathogens

infectious microorganisms in human blood that can cause disease in humans

Health care-associated infections (HAIs)

infections that patients or residents get while receiving treatment in a hospital or other health care facility, or that health care workers get while performing their duties within a health care setting

MRSA

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus; an infectious disease caused by a pathogen that is resistant to many antibiotics

Clostridium difficile

Causes colitis (an inflammation of the colon), led to numerous HAIs

aseptic techniques

Handwashing

Good personal hygiene

Use of disposable gloves

Properly cleaning instruments and equipment

Thorough cleaning of environment

Common pathogenic agents in a nursery

S. aureus, Group B Streptococcus, E. coli, S. pneumoniae, Gram-negative bacilli, Viruses

Common pathogenic agents on skin

Herpes and C. albicans

Viral survival

Blood borne pathogens survive much longer outside the body than once believed

Blood borne Standards

Employers must have a written BBP exposure control plan, must provide PPE, provide immunization, free medical follow up if exposed, education and training on exposure, biohazards need to be labeled, cleaning schedule, how to properly clean

Exposure control

Incident of exposure should be reported immediately

Employee Health

Primary objective is to minimize the risk of infection

Employees are screened for:

- measles

-mumps

-tuberculosis

-hepatitis

-diarrheal disease

-syphilis

-skin diseases

Pathogen

A microorganism that causes disease

reservoir

An environment for the pathogen to survive on inanimate objects or people

portal of exit

Pathogen exits from an infected person

mode of transmission

Transmission from the reservoir to the next host by direct contact, air, medical instruments, other objects, or other vectors

Vector

Agents that carry pathogens without causing harm to themselves, like mosquitoes or ticks

portal of entry

Entrance pathway to susceptible host

Fomites

objects that can harbor and transmit infectious material

susceptible host

Someone that can carry the pathogen, factors include age, drug use, immune system, nature or illness

Standard Precautions

Designed through the CDC to decrease risk of the of microorganisms from both recognized and unrecognized sources of infection

air borne precautions

Respiratory protection and negative pressure, isolation room

Droplet precautions

Wear mask

contact precautions

Wear gloves, gown, wash hands

Standard Precautions

Wash hands before and after contact with patient, wear gloves, mask, and footwear, use cough etiquette

To prevent infections from blood borne pathogens from needlestick injuries

Use safety engineered needle and sharp devices, do not recap, break or bend needles, immediately dispose of needle in puncture resistant container

Isolation for Hospital Outbreaks

Special precautions, isolation procedures, employee screening

protective or reverse isolation

Environment that is completely sterile

Handwashing

Have paper towels ready, Wet hands, apply soap, rub hands for 20 seconds, rinse, turn off faucet with paper towel

donning and removing gloves

Wash hands, put gloves on up to wrist, when taking off pinch glove at wrist and pull glove off, slide a few fingers under glove and pull off, dispose of gloves, wash hands

Gowning and removal of gowning

Wash hands, put gown on and tie to cover all exposed clothing and skin, put mask on, put gloves on over gown

To take off- remove gloves, then gown from the neck, wash hands and remove mask, wash hands again after new mask

Infection control and safety in clinical lab

Maintaining lab records, reporting infectious diseases, evaluating effectiveness of sterilization, following precautions

Disinfectants

chemical compounds used to remove or kill pathogenic microorganisms; typically used on medical instruments or countertops

Antiseptics

chemicals used on living tissue to decrease the growth and development of microorganisms, but don't necessarily kill them

- isopropyl alcohol

-hydrogen peroxide

-hexylresorcinol