OSHA: Biological Agents & Infection Control

Which three elements are required to transmit infection in a healthcare setting?

- A source of infecting microorganisms. - A susceptible host. - A means of transmission.

Select the individuals who are more vulnerable to developing an active infection.

- Elderly patients - Newborns - Patients taking immunosuppressive medications

How might microorganisms be spread?

- Indirect contact - Direct contact - Airborne methods - Respiratory droplet transmission

When do HAIs generally occur?

- More than 48 to 72 hours after admission - Within 10 days after discharge

Which of the following statements are true about using hand lotion?

- Some hand lotions may make hand hygiene less effective. - Only hospital-approved hand lotions should be utilized in a healthcare setting. - Some hand lotions may cause breakdown of latex gloves. - Hand lotions prevent skin irritation.

Which of the following are costs to the patient associated with HAIs?

- lost wages - pain - anxiety - diminished productivity

Microorganisms are typically single-celled. What do microorganisms include?

Bacteria, Viruses, Fungi, Protozoa

Direct blood or body fluid contact with the eyes, nose, or mouth occurs through contact with contaminated hands, contact with open skin lesions or dermatitis, or splashes or sprays of blood or body fluids such as might occur during irrigation or suctioning.

Mucus Membrane exposure

This method involves the use of physical or chemical means to remove, inactivate, or destroy pathogens on a surface or item to the point where they are no longer capable of transmitting infectious particles.

Decontamination

This describes a process that eliminates many or all pathogenic microorganisms, except bacterial spores, on inanimate objects.

Disinfection

Modes of Transmission

term used to describe how an organism moves from one person to another by either direct or indirect transmission.

Which hand hygiene method kills biological agents more effectively when hands are not visibly dirty?

Alcohol-based hand rubs

The correct technique for practicing hand hygiene using a hand rub is:

1. Apply the rub to the palm of one hand (the amount used depends on specific hand rub product). 2. Rub your hands together, covering all surfaces, focusing in particular on the fingertips and fingernails, until dry. Use enough rub to require at least 15 seconds to dry.

The correct technique for washing your hands using soap and water is:

1. Wet your hands with water. 2. Apply soap. 3. Rub your hands together for at least 15 seconds, covering all surfaces and focusing on fingertips and fingernails. 4. Rinse your hands under running water and dry them with a disposable towel. 5. Use the towel to turn off the faucet.

If there is an increase in respiratory infections in the community, healthcare facilities should keep symptomatic persons at least _____ away from others in common waiting areas.

3ft

HAIs are infections that develop during hospitalization but are neither present nor incubating upon the patient's admission to the hospital. They are generally infections that occur more than 48 to 72 hours after ____________ and within 10 days after hospital discharge.

Admission

Which method is more effective: using an alcohol rub or washing hands with soap and water?

Alcohol rub

Which category do surgical instruments fall into?

Critical

Spaulding's Classification categories

Critical items Semi-critical items Noncritical items

Why is the process of cleaning and disinfecting tools and areas properly so important in a healthcare environment?

It assists in controlling the transmission of HAIs.

An infected individual's respiratory tract best describes the _____ stage of the infection chain.

Portal of entry

A patient with an active influenza infection sneezes. In this scenario, what is the term used to describe the respiratory tract?

Portal of exit

Where does the Respiratory Hygiene strategy focus its efforts?

Reception/triage

This term could be used to describe an individual with an active measles infection.

Reservoir

In healthcare settings, microorganisms are spread to others through four common routes of transmission. These are direct and indirect contact, airborne spread, and what else?

Respiratory droplets

Which category does an endoscope fall into?

Semi-critical

This type of exposure can occur when performing procedures where there is poor visualization, such as: blind suturing, non-dominant hand opposing or next to a sharp, or performing procedures where bone splinters or metal fragments are produced.

Sharps exposure

This type of exposure occurs through handling, disassembly, disposal, or reprocessing of contaminated needles and other sharp objects.

Skin exposure

What is the best method of prevention for the transmission of vaccine-preventable diseases?

Staying up-to-date on all vaccines.

This involves the removal or destruction of all microorganisms and their spores.

Sterilization

The individual at risk for developing an infection from disease best describes the _____ stage of the infection chain.

Susceptible host

A healthcare worker assists a patient who is vomiting as a result of a gastrointestinal bug. The worker neglects to wash her hands adequately after assisting the patient and touches her hand to her mouth. In this scenario, in the context of chain of infection, what is the term used to describe the mouth?

portal of entry

Susceptible Host

refers to the individual at risk for developing an infection from the disease.

hand-washing

refers to washing hands with plain soap and water. Hand-washing with soap and water remains a sensible strategy for hand hygiene in non-healthcare settings and is recommended by the CDC and other experts.

The place where an infectious agent lives, grows, and multiplies best describes the _____ stage of the infection chain.

reservoir

Surgical hand hygiene/antisepsis

antiseptic handwash or antiseptic handrub performed preoperatively by surgical personnel to eliminate transient and reduce resident hand flora. Antiseptic handrubs often have a long-lasting antimicrobial effect.

infectious disease

any microorganism that can cause disease. Several factors contribute to whether an organism can cause an infection such as its ability to multiply and grow, its ability to enter tissue, and its ability to cause disease.

Critical items

are objects that enter sterile tissue or the vascular system and must be sterile prior to use. ex. surgical instruments

Noncritical items

are those that may come in contact with intact skin but not mucous membranes and should undergo low- or intermediate-level disinfection depending on the nature and degree of contamination. Environmental surfaces (e.g., floors, walls) are those that generally do not contact the patient during delivery of care. Cleaning may be all that is needed for the management of these surfaces but if disinfection is indicated, low-level disinfection is appropriate. ex. blood pressure cuffs

Semi-critical items

contact mucous membranes or non-intact skin and require, at a minimum, high-level disinfection prior to reuse. ex. endoscopes used for upper endoscopy and colonoscopy

As a healthcare worker, which vaccine-preventable diseases are you most likely to contract or transmit?

hepatitis B, influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis, and varicella.

Which tool or area requires more disinfection than others?

surgical instruments

antiseptic hand-wash

washing hands with water and soap or other detergents containing an antiseptic agent.Alcohol-based hand-rub refers to the alcohol-containing preparation applied to the hands to reduce the number of viable microorganisms.

Reservoir

where an infectious agent lives, grows, and multiplies. There are three types of reservoirs; human, animal, and environmental. Examples seen in the healthcare industry include body fluids, respiratory secretions, and touch surfaces such as door handles or blood pressure cuffs.

Portal of Entry

where an infectious disease enters the host's body. A portal of entry must provide access to tissues in which the pathogen can multiply or a toxin can act. Common portals of entry include mucous membranes, skin, and blood. Often, infectious agents use the same portal to enter a new host that they used to exit the source host. For example, influenza virus exits the respiratory tract of the source host and enters the respiratory tract of the new host. In contrast, many pathogens that cause gastroenteritis follow a so-called "fecal-oral" route because they exit the source host in feces, are carried on inadequately washed hands to a vehicle such as food, water, or utensil, and enter a new host through the mouth.

Portal of Exit

where the organism leaves the reservoir, such as the respiratory tract (that is nose or mouth), intestinal tract or rectum, urinary tract, or blood and other body fluids.