Infection Prevention and Control Review

Flashcards covering key definitions, chain of infection, regulatory agencies, safety standards, and hygiene practices based on healthcare lecture notes.

What is infection prevention?

The set of methods practiced in healthcare facilities to prevent and control the spread of disease.

What is an infection?

The state resulting from pathogens invading the body and multiplying.

What is a pathogen?

A microorganism that is capable of causing infection and disease.

What is a localized infection?

An infection that is limited to a specific location in the body and has local symptoms.

What is a systemic infection?

An infection that travels through the bloodstream and is spread throughout the body, causing general symptoms.

What is a healthcare-associated infection (HAI)?

An infection acquired in a healthcare setting during the delivery of medical care.

What is the chain of infection?

A way of describing how disease is transmitted from one human being to another.

What is a causative agent?

A pathogenic microorganism that causes disease.

What is a reservoir in the chain of infection?

A place where a pathogen lives and multiplies.

What is a portal of exit?

Any body opening on an infected person that allows pathogens to leave.

What is a mode of transmission?

The way a pathogen travels.

What is direct contact transmission?

A way of transmitting pathogens through touching the infected person or his secretions.

What is indirect contact transmission?

A way of transmitting pathogens from touching an object contaminated by the infected person.

What is a portal of entry?

Any body opening on an uninfected person that allows pathogens to enter.

What are mucous membranes?

The membranes that line body cavities that open to the outside of the body, such as the linings of the mouth, nose, eyes, rectum, and genitals.

What is a susceptible host?

An uninfected person who could become sick.

What is transmission?

Passage or transfer.

What does infectious mean?

Contagious.

What is medical asepsis?

Measures used to reduce and prevent the spread of pathogens.

What is surgical asepsis?

The state of being completely free of all microorganisms; also called sterile technique.

What is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)?

A federal government agency that makes rules to protect workers from hazards on the job.

What is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)?

A federal government agency that issues guidelines to protect and improve the health of individuals and communities.

What are Standard Precautions?

A method of infection prevention in which all blood, body fluids, nonintact skin, and mucous membranes are treated as if they were infected with an infectious disease.

What is a lancet?

A sharp instrument used to make small incisions, as in capillary puncture procedures.

What are sharps?

Needles, lancets, or other sharp objects.

What does hand hygiene include?

Washing hands with either plain or antiseptic soap and water and using alcohol-based hand rubs.

What is personal protective equipment (PPE)?

Equipment that helps protect employees from serious workplace injuries or illnesses resulting from contact with workplace hazards.

What is an invasive procedure?

A procedure that involves inserting a foreign object into a patient's body.

What do don and doff mean?

Don means to put on; doff means to remove.

What are Transmission-Based Precautions?

A method of infection prevention used when caring for persons who are infected or may be infected with certain infectious diseases.

What are multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROS)?

Microorganisms, mostly bacteria, that are resistant to one or more antimicrobial agents that are commonly used for treatment.

What does isolate mean?

To keep something separate, or by itself.

What is a bloodborne pathogen?

Microorganism found in human blood, body fluid, draining wounds, and mucous membranes that can cause infection and disease in humans.

What is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)?

The final stage of HIV infection, in which infections, tumors, and central nervous system symptoms appear due to a weakened immune system that is unable to fight infection.

What is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)?

The virus that attacks the body's immune system and gradually disables it; eventually can cause AIDS.

What is hepatitis?

Inflammation of the liver caused by certain viruses and other factors, such as alcohol abuse, some medications and trauma.

What is the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard?

Federal law that requires that healthcare facilities protect employees from bloodborne health hazards.

What are engineering controls?

Features incorporated in medical devices to make their use less hazardous.

What is an exposure control plan?

A plan designed to eliminate or reduce employee exposure to infectious material.

What is the difference between clean and dirty in healthcare?

Clean is a condition in which objects are not contaminated with pathogens, while dirty is a condition in which objects have been contaminated with pathogens.

What is the difference between disinfection and sterilization?

Disinfection destroys most, but not all, pathogens to a level considered not infectious, whereas sterilization destroys all microorganisms, including pathogens.