Infection Control: Standard Precautions

• Infection Control-1, MIC 112 Course focuses on infection prevention and control

Standard Precautions

• Precautions should be taken with every patient as if they are potentially infectious
• These practices are implemented to help prevent the transmission of infectious diseases
• When a patient has an infection, transmission-based precautions are added

Standard Precautions Include

• Hand hygiene
• Wearing appropriate PPE
• Proper handling of patient equipment
• Injection safety practices
• Environmental cleaning
• Respiratory hygiene/coughing etiquette
• Handling of laundry
• Patient room placement
• Hand hygiene should be performed before and after patient contact, after wearing gloves, and touching surfaces
• Hand hygiene should be performed by using soap and water or hand sanitizer

Soap and Water

• Soap and water should be used rather than hand sanitizer when:
• Hands are visibly soiled
• Before eating or touching food
• After using the bathroom
• During Diarrhea illnesses such as C. difficile, Norovirus, and Rotavirus

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be used as needed to protect skin, clothing, and mucous membranes while providing care to patients
• Example of PPE usage includes the suctioning tracheostomy
• Even if the patient has no infectious disease, standard precautions should still be followed, regardless
• It is important to select appropriate PPE
• During the procedure, there is a risk of splash of mucous or blood in the mucous membranes or onto the clothes
• PPE used specifically in this scenario include gloves, gown, mask, goggles, or face shields

Transmission-Based Precautions

• Specific PPE is required to wear at all times during patient contact
• PPE depends on the type of care given
• With airborne precautions, an N95 mask is required
• When inserting an NG tube or performing a procedure that could cause splashes of body fluids, a gown, googles, face shield, and gloves is required

Types of PPE

• Gloves are needed when coming into contact with fluids such as vomit, stool, or urine or blood
• Gowns are needed if there is a potential contact with fluids or blood on clothing
• Goggles/Face Mask or Respirator/Shield are needed if there will be a potential contact with fluids or blood on the mucous membranes such as coughing, vomiting, or providing suctioning/mouth care

Droplet Precautions

• Droplet precautions are used to prevent the spread of infections transmitted via droplets

• Droplets travel less distance (3 feet) and then fall

• Droplets can enter through the mucus membranes (eyes, nose, and mouth)

• To prevent the spread:

• Wear a surgical mask during patient contact

• Maintain a distance of 3 feet or more from other patients and visitors

• The patient must wear a surgical mask if transported

• Keep patient's door open

• No special ventilation is required

Airborne Precautions

• Key points related to airborne transmission:
• Airborne diseases can survive the drying out process and turn into droplet nuclei
• These particles infect a person when inhaled into the lungs
• Must wear an N95 mask at all times while in the room and follow standard precautions
• The room must contain an AIIR (airborne infection isolation room) or in other words a negative pressure room
• The room will have 6-12 air changes hourly to decrease infectious particles in the room
• Keep the room door closed at all times
• If the patient has to leave the room, the patient must wear a surgical mask

Contact Precautions

• Don Medical Gloves/Gown With Every Contact Precaution
• Diarrhea Infections
• Medication Resistant Organisms
• PPE (gloves/gown) must always be worn at all times
• Wound Infections
• Eye infections
• Pulmonary infections
• Skin infections
• Key Points:
• Transmitted from direct or indirect contact
• Wear gown and gloves with standard precautions like hand hygiene
• Wear other types of PPE based on the type of care provided
• Single room for patients or group patients together with the same infection

Regulations

• Regulations providing a plan for accidental exposure to blood and body fluids are by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Healthcare workers involved in at-risk activities are required to complete training for bloodborne pathogens
• These trainings include Standard Precautions, biohazardous waste handling, post-exposure policy, and hepatitis vaccine
• Blood and body fluids of all patients must be treated as potentially infectious under standard precautions
• All sharps should be disposed of in hospital approved sharps containers
• Red bag waste is never segregated at the point of use is NOT true regarding biomedical waste
• Wearing gloves is a substitute for adequate hand hygiene is NOT true related to hand hygiene
• Hepatitis B vaccine is available for the healthcare worker who has exposure to blood and body fluids