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Infection control
Preventing or limiting the spread of germs.
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Specialty equipment that acts as a barrier between the healthcare worker and potentially infectious bodily fluid.
Immunity
Bodily defenses (antibodies) that prevent illness from occurring upon exposure to a specific germ.
Primary prevention
Preventing disease before it starts.
Antibody
A body's defense against a specific invader; produced by either a vaccine or exposure to the disease itself.
Germ theory
The idea that microorganisms are the cause of most illnesses.
Chain of infection
The six links that describe how infections are transmitted.
Drug-resistant infections
Infections that have become resistant to many antibiotics.
Fomite
An inanimate object that can carry infectious agents.
Airborne precautions
Require the use of a particulate respirator (N95) mask.
Non-specific defense mechanisms
General defenses that the body has against pathogens.
Vaccination
The act of receiving a vaccine to prevent disease.
Hand sanitizers
Must contain 60-95% alcohol to be effective.
Healthcare workers
Individuals who provide care to patients and should be vaccinated.
Lifestyle choices
Factors that can help or harm non-specific defense mechanisms.
Susceptible host
An individual who is at risk for infection.
Transmission
How germs move from one host to the next.
Explosive diarrhea
A symptom that may indicate a C. Diff infection.
Louis Pasteur
An inventor responsible for the pasteurization process and for developing a vaccine for rabies.
Semmelweis
Conducted experiments that led to the importance of handwashing in preventing disease spread.
Microorganisms
The cause of illness according to germ theory.
Antiseptic solutions
Accepted by the medical community as a way to prevent the spread of disease.
Healthcare provider
Should be consulted as soon as one becomes ill.
Free vaccinations
Employers offer free vaccinations.
CDC immunization requirement
The CDC requires all healthcare workers to be immunized.
Vaccination purpose
Vaccines help protect the worker and her residents.
Nursing assistant vaccination requirement
Vaccinations need to be complete to work as a nursing assistant.
Hand hygiene situations
Hand hygiene may be done using hand sanitizer in all of the following situations EXCEPT after using the restroom, after taking off gloves, before and after eating, when coming back from break.
MRSA contact precautions
When caring for a resident who is on contact precautions for MRSA, you should use soap and water after resident contact.
Hand sanitizer usage
Use hand sanitizer before exiting the room.
Care after providing for MRSA
Use either soap and water OR hand sanitizer after providing care.
Soap and water requirement
Use soap and water only if the resident has a fever.
Hand sanitizer effectiveness
Compared to washing with soap and water, using a hand sanitizer is more effective in killing germs.
PPE requirements
The PPE that a nursing assistant must wear when taking care of a resident is based upon the resident's abilities and needs, nursing assistant's risk of exposure, and PPE available in the facility.
Glove usage scenarios
The nursing assistant should wear gloves when feeding a resident in a common dining room, carrying linens from the linen closet to a resident's room, leaving a resident's room, and washing a resident's face and hands.
Benefits of hand hygiene
The benefits of performing hand hygiene include limiting the spread of illnesses from one resident to the next, reducing the risk of the healthcare worker becoming ill, controlling healthcare costs, and all of the above.
Droplet precautions
Before entering the resident's room, Thomas must put on a N95 respirator.
Staph infection example
An example of a staph infection that is resistant to a number of antibiotics is MRSA.
VRE infections
VRE infections occur most often in hospitals.
Response to hand hygiene neglect
You notice an older, more experienced nursing assistant not washing her hands after assisting her assigned residents with morning showers. What should you do? Remind her of the importance of hand hygiene.
Resident's emotional response
Your resident is upset and feels she is contaminated because everyone is wearing PPE when entering her room. What is your best response? Reassure her that the PPE is required to prevent the infection from spreading to others.
Caring for HIV-positive resident
You have just discovered that the woman you have been caring for all week is HIV-positive. What do you do? Carry out your duties as normal; you are safe because you use standard precautions when providing care.
PPE reminder response
You witness a coworker not wearing the proper PPE as indicated. When you remind her, she says, 'I'm not worried about it. It takes too long to put on.' What is the best response? Remind her that the extra time to put on the PPE is protecting herself and her resident.
