Infection Prevention and Control Orientation Jan 2023

Summary

This script provides a comprehensive overview of infection prevention and control measures in healthcare settings. It covers standard precautions such as hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, and safe injection practices, highlighting the importance of these protocols in preventing the spread of infections. The script emphasizes the significance of proper PPE usage, sharps handling, and infection reporting. It also explains additional precautions for airborne, droplet, and contact-transmitted diseases, including COVID-19. Additionally, the document discusses healthcare-associated infections, waste management, and updated COVID-19 screening procedures for healthcare workers to ensure safety and compliance within the healthcare environment.

Takeaways

• 😀 Hand hygiene is the most effective way to stop the spread of infection, and must be performed at five key moments: before touching a patient, before aseptic procedures, after body fluid exposure, after touching a patient, and after touching patient surroundings.
• 😀 PPE should be worn correctly to prevent contamination. Always perform hand hygiene before wearing and after removing PPE. Avoid touching respirators with contaminated hands and follow proper donning and doffing procedures.
• 😀 Safe injection practices prevent sharps injuries. Needles should not be recapped manually, and sharps should always be disposed of immediately in a designated sharps container.
• 😀 Standard precautions apply to all patient care, regardless of infection status, and include hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, proper PPE, and safe handling of contaminated materials.
• 😀 Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette are important for preventing the spread of respiratory infections. Masks should be worn when necessary, and symptomatic workers should contact the Employee Wellbeing Clinic for guidance.
• 😀 Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are preventable and often result from breaks in infection control practices. High-risk patients, particularly those with medical devices, are more vulnerable to HAIs.
• 😀 All healthcare waste should be properly segregated into color-coded bins: Green for non-infectious waste, Black for non-biodegradable waste, Yellow for infectious waste, and Red for sharps containers.
• 😀 Healthcare workers are required to be tested for COVID-19 if symptomatic or after high-risk exposure. Positive cases must isolate for 7 days, and workers can return once they are symptom-free or mildly symptomatic.
• 😀 The hospital has policies in place to encourage vaccination among healthcare workers. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated workers are encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine and are subject to quarantine if exposed.
• 😀 Regular monitoring of hand hygiene compliance is conducted to ensure healthcare workers follow proper infection control practices. The Hawthorne effect may influence behavior when staff know they are being observed.
• 😀 PPE and waste management procedures are strictly enforced in COVID-19 units. Dedicated trash bins and PPE stations are available to ensure compliance and minimize exposure risk.

Q & A

What are standard precautions in infection prevention?

Standard precautions include the minimum infection prevention practices that apply to all patient care, regardless of infection status, and include hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, cough etiquette, use of PPE, safe injection practices, and safe handling of potentially contaminated equipment.

Why is hand hygiene considered the most important infection control measure?

Hand hygiene is the single most effective action to stop the spread of infections. It can be performed either by hand rubbing with alcohol-based hand rub or by hand washing with soap and water.

What are the five moments when healthcare workers should perform hand hygiene?

Hand hygiene should be performed before touching a patient, before performing any clean or aseptic procedure, after body fluid exposure, after touching a patient, and after touching a patient's surroundings.

What is the importance of respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette?

Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette help prevent the transmission of respiratory infections in healthcare settings. It includes practices like wearing masks when symptomatic and informing the appropriate departments if symptomatic.

How should a healthcare worker wear and use PPE?

PPE should be worn after hand hygiene, ensuring proper donning and doffing procedures. Gloves and gowns should be worn for patients on contact precautions, and full PPE is required in COVID-19 units.

What are the steps to follow during a procedure involving sharps?

Sharps should always be pointed away from the operator during use, never be passed between people without a proper safety feature, and disposed of immediately in a sharps container. If reusing a needle, the one-handed scoop technique should be used to recap it.

What should be done in the event of accidental exposure to a sharp?

Immediate first aid measures should be performed, and the incident should be reported to the employee well-being clinic or emergency department. An incident report should be filed within 24 to 48 hours to determine the cause of the incident.

What are the three types of additional precautions in infection prevention?

The three additional precautions are airborne precautions, droplet precautions, and contact precautions. Each applies to patients with specific infectious agents and involves special room placements and PPE requirements.

What is the proper disposal method for healthcare waste?

Healthcare waste should be segregated and disposed of according to color-coded bins: green for non-infectious waste, black for non-biodegradable waste, yellow for infectious waste, and orange for radioactive materials.

What should healthcare workers do if they develop COVID-19 symptoms?

Healthcare workers should report to employee health and follow testing protocols. If symptomatic, they must isolate and undergo rapid antigen tests or RT-PCR testing as required, and return to work after clearance based on symptom resolution.