Module 6: Medical and Surgical Asepsis Overview

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.