Communicable Disease, Infection Control, and Patient Care Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering communicable diseases, bacterial and viral classifications, infection control protocols, nursing assistant responsibilities, and dementia care.

Microbe

A living thing that cannot be seen with the naked eye, also called a microorganism; can be found in air, soil, plants, water, food, and living bodies.

Microbe Classification

The major categories into which microorganisms are divided: bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites (which include helminths and protozoa).

Normal (Resident) Flora

Microbes that harmlessly reside in or on the human body and are essential for healthy living.

Pathogen

A microbe that causes illness or disease.

Opportunistic Microbes

Microbes that are considered normal flora in one part of the body but act as pathogens when introduced into another part, such as Escherichia coli causing a urinary tract infection in the bladder.

Bacterial Classification by Shape

Categorization of bacteria into three basic shapes: round spherical bacteria (cocci), rod-shaped bacteria (bacilli), and spiral-shaped or curved bacteria (spirilla).

Cocci

Round or spherical-shaped bacteria.

Bacilli

Rod-shaped bacteria.

Spirilla

Spiral-shaped or curved bacteria.

Bacterial Colony Arrangements

The structural grouping of bacteria, indicated by prefixes: diplo- for pairs, strepto- for chains, and staphylo- for grape-like clusters.

Aerobic Bacteria

Bacteria that require oxygen to live.

Anaerobic Bacteria

Bacteria that die if oxygen is present in their environment.

Endospore

A protective shell formed by certain bacteria that allows them to enter an inactive state and survive harsh conditions, making them hard to kill with standard techniques.

Viruses

The smallest class of microbes, visible only with an electron microscope, causing illnesses such as the common cold, influenza, hepatitis, AIDS, and COVID-19.

Fungi

A group of plant-like organisms classified by their cell wall composition, responsible for conditions such as ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, and candidiasis.

Parasites

Organisms that live in or on a host plant or animal to obtain food and protection.

Helminths

Parasitic worm organisms such as pinworms, tapeworms, and roundworms.

Protozoa

Microscopic single-celled parasites that cause diseases such as malaria and amebic dysentery.

Antibodies

Specialized proteins produced by the body following exposure to a microbe or vaccine that help fight off specific pathogens.

Antibiotics

Medications designed to kill bacteria or hinder their growth and reproduction, beginning with Penicillin.

Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MDROs)

Bacteria resistant to one or more classes of antibiotics previously used to treat them, including MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and VRE (Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus).

Clostridium difficile (C. diff)

A pathogen that causes severe healthcare-associated diarrhea when antibiotic treatment destroys normal intestinal flora; requires contact precautions and handwashing.

Local Infection

An infection affecting a small, defined area of the body.

Generalized Infection

An infection affecting a broader general region or specific organ system.

Systemic Infection

An infection that affects the entire body.

Communicable Infection

An infection capable of being transmitted directly or indirectly from one person to another.

Contagious Infection

A subset of communicable infections that spreads easily from person to person through casual contact.

Chain of Infection

The six sequential elements required for a communicable disease to spread: pathogen, reservoir, portal of exit, method of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host.

Breaking the Chain of Infection

The removal or disruption of any single link among the six required conditions to successfully prevent disease transmission.

Susceptible Host

An individual with high vulnerability to infection due to factors like extreme age, poor general health, stress, fatigue, or indwelling medical devices.

Bloodborne Pathogens

Disease-producing microorganisms present in human blood and body fluids such as semen, vaginal secretions, wound drainage, cerebrospinal fluid, and breast milk.

Hepatitis

Inflammation of the liver caused by viral infection, drugs, chemicals, or alcohol, existing in forms A, B, C, D, and E.

Hepatitis A Virus (HAV)

A liver virus transmitted via the oral-fecal route through contaminated water, food, or infected shellfish.

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)

A bloodborne virus spread by blood transfusion, needle sticks, or unprotected sex, for which an effective vaccine is provided free by employers under OSHA.

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)

A chronic bloodborne virus causing end-stage cirrhosis and liver cancer; it is the leading cause of liver transplants in the U.S. and lacks a preventative vaccine.

Hepatitis E Virus (HEV)

An oral-fecal route virus prevalent in places with poor sanitation resources, with no available vaccine.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

A fatal disease caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that destroys T cells, leaving the body incapable of fighting infections and malignancies.

T Cells

Specialized white blood cells (leukocytes) destroyed by HIV during infection replication.

OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard

Federal standards mandating staff training, free Hepatitis B vaccines, adequate PPE, environmental controls, and exposure control plans in health care.

Exposure Control Plan

A written, accessible facility document outlining explicit procedures to execute if an employee encounters blood or body fluid exposure.

Airborne Pathogens

Microbes suspended in air currents for extended periods after coughing or sneezing, such as measles, chickenpox, and tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB)

A bacterial airborne infection transmitted in sputum droplets affecting lungs, kidneys, or bones, evaluated via skin tests, blood tests, and chest x-rays.

CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)

The federal government agency responsible for inspecting nursing homes and enforcing OBRA compliance.

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

Basic self-care tasks essential for daily functioning: bathing, dressing, eating, mobility, and toileting.

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)

Complex independent living skills, including phone usage, money handling, grocery shopping, and meal preparation.

Dementia

The permanent, progressive loss of mental function caused by brain tissue damage.

Amnesia

Loss of memory, recognized as one of the 4 A's of dementia.

Aphasia

Difficulty communicating or expressing/understanding spoken or written language, recognized as one of the 4 A's of dementia.

Agnosia

Difficulty recognizing and interpreting sensory input such as sights, sounds, or smells, recognized as one of the 4 A's of dementia.

Apraxia

Difficulty coordinating and executing the steps necessary to complete a task, recognized as one of the 4 A's of dementia.

Validation Therapy

A communication strategy for individuals with dementia that acknowledges and validates their feelings and personal reality rather than correcting them.

Sundowning

A behavioral phenomenon in people with dementia characterized by heightened confusion, agitation, or restlessness in the late afternoon or evening.

Health Care–Associated Infections (HAIs)

Infections acquired by patients or residents while receiving care within a health care facility, also referred to as nosocomial infections.

Infection Control

Practices applied in health facilities to minimize pathogen spread, comprising medical asepsis, surgical asepsis, barrier methods, and isolation precautions.

Medical Asepsis

The practice of physically removing or destroying pathogens using soap, water, antiseptics, disinfectants, or heat.

Sanitization

Basic cleanliness measures, such as handwashing and washing utensils with soap and water, that physically clean surfaces and remove microbes.

Antisepsis

The use of skin-safe chemicals, such as rubbing alcohol or iodine, to kill or inhibit microbial growth.

Disinfection

The application of strong chemicals to destroy pathogens on nonliving inanimate objects like bedpans or tray tables; unsafe for skin.

Sterilization

The complete destruction of all microbial life, including spores, achieved via autoclaving or chemical soaking.

Surgical Asepsis

Strict sterile techniques required during invasive medical procedures, such as IV catheter placement or urinary catheter insertion, to keep areas completely free of all microorganisms.

Transient Flora

Microbes picked up on the skin of hands by touching contaminated objects or infected individuals.

Fomites

Inanimate objects contaminated with infectious organisms that can indirectly transmit disease upon touch.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Physical equipment—including gloves, gowns, masks, respirators, and eyewear—worn to prevent pathogens from contacting skin or mucous membranes.

Standard Precautions

Infection control measures applied to all patients/residents regardless of diagnosis, treating all blood and body fluids as potentially infectious.

Airborne Precautions

Isolation procedures used for airborne diseases requiring private negative-pressure rooms (AIIR) and N95 high-filtration respirators.

Droplet Precautions

Infection control procedures utilized for pathogens spread by large respiratory droplets, calling for basic surgical masks within close contact.

Contact Precautions

Precautions required when caring for diseases transmitted directly by contact or indirectly by fomites, necessitating gown and glove wear.