Medical Asepsis Flashcards

Questions and Answers

What is asepsis?

Asepsis is the state of being free of infection; the absence of disease producing microorganisms.

What is an antiseptic?

An agent or substance that arrests or retards the growth of organisms but does not necessarily destroy them.

What is a bactericide?

A substance that destroys bacteria, but not necessarily spores.

What is a clean area?

One free of pathogenic (disease-producing) microorganisms. Signup and view all the answers

What is a disinfectant?

A substance that destroys pathogens, but not usually spores. Signup and view all the answers

What is disinfection?

The process of destroying pathogens. Signup and view all the answers

What is medical asepsis?

Methods and practices designed to prevent or limit the spread of pathogens. Signup and view all the answers

What does sterile mean?

Absence of all microorganisms including spores. Signup and view all the answers

What is sterilization?

The process of destroying all microorganisms and spores. Signup and view all the answers

What is surgical asepsis?

Methods and practices which keep objects and areas free of microorganisms. Signup and view all the answers

What is a nosocomial infection?

An infection that develops while the patient receives health care. Signup and view all the answers

What is the most important aspect of medical asepsis technique?

Hand washing. Signup and view all the answers

What are the three isolation techniques?

Source of infection organism, susceptible host, transmission. Signup and view all the answers

What are the different means of disease transmission?

Contact (direct, indirect, droplet), vehicle (food, water, drug, blood), airborne (droplet/dust particle), vector-borne (tropical/mosquitos). Signup and view all the answers

What may be considered with normal hand washing when using isolation techniques?

Using antiseptics as they kill microorganisms that may not be removed from handwashing. Signup and view all the answers

What distance should you consider with a patient with droplet precautions with respect to a mask?

If within 3 ft. Signup and view all the answers

When is the mask donned and removed?

First and last. Signup and view all the answers

What are the 3 reasons gloves are indicated?

Reduce infection from patient to caretaker, vice versa, and keeping patients who get infected from passing to others. Signup and view all the answers

How do you identify a double hot water soluble linen bag?

Red cloth. Signup and view all the answers

How should all contaminated dressing be discarded?

Bagged, labeled, and discarded according to clinic procedures. Signup and view all the answers

What is strict isolation?

Private room, door kept closed, with mask, gown, gloves, and hand washing. Signup and view all the answers

What is contact isolation?

Private room, may be shared, with mask (for close contact), gown if soiling is likely, gloves, and hand washing. Signup and view all the answers

What is respiratory isolation?

Private room, may be shared, with mask, hand washing. Signup and view all the answers

What is tuberculosis isolation?

Private room with special ventilation; door kept closed, with mask, gown if gross contamination is likely, hand washing. Signup and view all the answers

What is enteric feces precaution?

Private room if patient hygiene is poor, gown if soiling is likely, gloves if contact with infective material is likely, hand washing. Signup and view all the answers

What are drainage/secretion precautions?

Gown if soiling is likely, gloves if contact with infective material is likely, hand washing. Signup and view all the answers

What are blood/body fluid precautions?

Private room if patient hygiene is poor, gown if soiling is likely, gloves if contact with infective material is likely, hand washing. Signup and view all the answers

What are all the different types of isolation?

Strict, contact, respiratory, tuberculosis, enteric, drainage/secretion, blood/body fluids. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Asepsis: State free from infection; absence of disease-causing microorganisms.
Antiseptic: Agent that inhibits growth of organisms without necessarily destroying them; typically used on people.
Bactericide: Substance that destroys bacteria but not spores; also known as germicides.
Clean Area: An area free from pathogenic microorganisms.

Disinfection and Sterilization

Disinfectant: Destroys pathogens on inanimate objects but usually does not eliminate spores.
Disinfection: The process of eliminating pathogens to ensure a safe environment.
Medical Asepsis: Methods to prevent the spread of pathogens, also referred to as clean technique.
Sterile: Complete absence of all microorganisms, including spores.
Sterilization: The process of destroying all microorganisms and spores, critical for surgical procedures.

Isolation Techniques

Nosocomial Infections: Infections acquired during healthcare delivery; can be exogenous (from others) or endogenous (from the patient).
Handwashing: Most vital aspect of medical asepsis; primary method for preventing infection transmission.

Infection Transmission and Isolation

Types of Infection Transmission:
- Contact: Direct, indirect, or droplet contact.
- Vehicle: Through food, water, drugs, or blood.
- Airborne: Transmission via droplets or dust particles.
- Vector-borne: Transmission via organisms like mosquitoes.

Isolation Measures and Precautions

Isolation Techniques:
- Strict Isolation: Private room, closed door, mask, gown, gloves, and strict hand hygiene for all contaminated items.
- Contact Isolation: Similar to strict isolation but allows sharing when necessary; mask and gown usage will vary based on contact likelihood.
- Respiratory Isolation: Focused on preventing respiratory infections; using masks, private rooms, and proper sanitation.
- Tuberculosis Isolation: Requires specialized ventilation in private rooms and precautions similar to strict isolation.
- Enteric Isolation: Private room standards if patient hygiene is poor; gown and gloves if contact is likely.
- Drainage/Secretion Precautions: Gown and gloves based on risk of contamination; hand hygiene and proper disposal of contaminated items.
- Blood/Body Fluid Precautions: Similar isolation measures with urgent cleaning of spills using disinfectants.

Additional Considerations

Distance for Masks: Maintain distance of at least 3 feet when in contact with patients at risk of droplet transmission.
Disposal of Material: Contaminated linens and dressings should be bagged, labeled, and disposed of according to clinic protocols.
Identification of Double Hot Water Soluble Linen Bag: Recognizable by its red cloth color.

Overall Types of Isolation

Categories of isolation: strict, contact, respiratory, tuberculosis, enteric, drainage/secretion, and blood/body fluids.

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Description

Test your knowledge of medical asepsis with these flashcards. This quiz covers key terms such as asepsis, antiseptic, and bactericide, essential for understanding infection control in healthcare settings.