2- The Well-Being of the Emergency Medical Responder

Question 1

Preventing disease transmission:

Answer 1

1) How infections occur
2) How diseases spread from one person to another
3) What you can do to protect yourself and others

Question 2

How infection occurs:

Answer 2

1) Pathogen gets into the body

2) Sometimes overpower body’s natural defense systems and cause illness

Question 3

What causes most infectious diseases?

Answer 3

Bacteria and viruses

Question 4

Commonly used antibiotics:

Answer 4

penicillin, erythromycin and tetracycline

Question 5

Viruses cause:

Answer 5

Hepatitis, measles, mumps, chicken pox, meningitis, rubella, influenza, wartz, colds, herpes, HIV, genital warts, smallpox, Avian flu

Question 6

Bacteria cause:

Answer 6

Tetanus, meningitis, scarlet fever, strep throat, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, toxic shock syndrome, Legionnaires’ disease, diptheria, food poisoning, Lyme disease, anthrax

Question 7

Rickettsia cause:

Answer 7

Typhus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Question 8

Parasitic Worms cause:

Answer 8

Abdominal pain, anemia, lymphatic vessel blockage, lowered antibody response, respiratory and circulatory complications

Question 9

Prions cause:

Answer 9

Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease)

Question 10

Yeasts

Answer 10

Candidaisis (aka “thrush”)

Question 11

The Body’s Natural Defenses:

Answer 11

1) Intact skin & mucous membranes (keep germs out)

2) Immune system (antibodies and white blood cells)

Question 12

Mild to serious and brief =

Long lasting=

Answer 12

acute

chronic

Question 13

Signals that the body is fighting infection

Answer 13

Fever, exhaustion

headache, nausea and vomiting

Question 14

CRITICAL FACT

Answer 14

Intact skin, as well as mucous membranes in the mouth, nose and eyes, are part of the body’s natural defenses to help keep germs out.

Question 15

Three different types of human immunity:

Answer 15

1) Inate (born with, natural barriers like skin)
2) Adaptive immunity (develops throughout our lives as we are exposed to diseases or are immunized against them)
3) Passive immunity (gained from external sources such as from a mother’s breast milk to an infant)

Question 16

How diseases spread:

Answer 16

Exposure to blood or body fluids through injuries from needles and other sharps devises, as well as by direct and indirect contact with skin and mucous membranes.

Question 17

Four conditions must be met for any disease to spread:

Answer 17

1) Present
2) Quantity
3) Susceptible
4) Entry site

Question 18

CRITICAL FACT

Answer 18

For any disease to spread, pathogens must be present in sufficient quantity and pass through the broken skin or mucous membrane of a susceptible person.

Question 19

Direct contact:

Answer 19

Occurs when infected blood or body fluid from one person enters another person’s body at a correct entry site.

Question 20

Indirect contact:

Answer 20

Can occur when a person touches an object that contains the blood or other body fluid of an infected person; e.g. = soiled dressings or equipment

Question 21

Droplet transmission

Answer 21

Occurs when a person inhales droplets propelled from an infected person’s cough or sneeze from a few feet and also by touching a surface recently contaminated by infected droplets then touching an entry site

Question 22

Vector-borne transmission

Answer 22

Occurs when an infectious source, such as an animal or insect bite or sting, penetrates the body’s skin.

Question 23

CRITICAL FACT

Answer 23

Exposure control plans, as required by OSHA, contain policies and procedures that help employers eliminate, minimize and properly report employee exposure incidents.

Question 24

CRITICAL FACT

Answer 24

Standard precautions are safety measures to prevent occupational-risk exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials, It assumes all body fluids may be infective.

Question 25

Protecting yourself from disease transmission:

Answer 25

1) Keep immunizations current
2) Have regular physical checkups
3) Be knowledgeable about other pathogens

Question 26

BSI precautions:

Answer 26

1) PPE
2) Good hand hygiene
3) Engineering controls
4) Work practice controls
5) Proper equipment cleaning
6) Spill cleanup procedures

Answer 27

Wear disposable gloves for all patient contact when providing care to injured or ill people.

Question 28

What is the most effective measure to prevent the spread of infection?

Answer 28

Hand washing

Question 29

Engineering controls

Answer 29

Objects used in the workplace to help reduce the risk of an exposure incident.

Question 30

Examples of engineering controls:

Answer 30

1) sharps disposal containers
2) Self-sheathing needles
3) Safer medical devices
4) Use of biohazard containers & labels
5) Posting of signs at entrances to areas where infectious materials may be present
6) PPE

Question 31

CRITICAL FACT

Answer 31

Engineering controls, such as biohazard containers and PPE, are control measures that isolate or remove a hazard from the workplace.

Question 32

Methods of working that help reduce the risk of an exposure incident:

Answer 32

1) Placing sharps items in puncture-resistant, leak-proof and labeled containers, and having the containers at the point of use
2) Avoiding splashing, spraying and splattering droplets of blood when performing procedures
3) Removal of soiled protective clothing ASAP
4) Cleaning all equipment possibly soiled by body fluids
5) Wash hands immediately after providing care
6) No eating or applying makeup and such and use alcohol-based sanitizers when you can’t wash your hands

Question 33

CRITICAL FACT

Answer 33

Work practice controls reduce the likelihood of exposure by changing the way tasks, such as disposal of sharps items or soiled clothing, are carried out.

Question 34

What to do if you are exposed:

Answer 34

1) Clean contaminated area throughly with soap & water.
2) Flush splashes of blood or other potentially infectious materials to the mouth and nose with water.
3) If eyes are involved, irrigate with clean water, saline or sterile irritants for 20 mins.
4) Seek immediate follow-up care as identified in your department exposure control plan

Question 35

CRITICAL FACT

Answer 35

If you are exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials, immediately take the appropriate steps, such as cleaning contaminated areas, as part of a proper exposure control plan.

Question 36

CRITICAL FACT

Answer 36

Per OSHA regulations, employers are required to remove items that might put employees in contact with infectious materials.

Question 37

CRITICAL FACT

Answer 37

OSHA regulations regarding bloodborne pathogens have placed specific responsibilities on employers as protection of employees. These include creating exposure control plans, scheduling decontamination and cleaning the workplace, training on OSHA regulations and free hepatitis B vaccinations.

Question 38

CRITICAL FACT

Answer 38

Measures such as listening empathetically, speaking gently and allowing anger or despair to be expressed may help the patient and family cope with the dying process.

Question 39

What are the five stages of grief:

Answer 39

1) Denial
2) Anger
3) Bargaining
4) Depression
5) Acceptance

Question 40

The goals of a debriefing:

Answer 40

1) Reduce the impact of the traumatic event
2) Accelerate the normal recovery process from a traumatic event
3) Normalize the stress response for emergency workers in traumatic events
4) Provide education in stress management and coping skills

Question 41

Defusing:

Answer 41

1) Shorter than debriefing & done on a one-to-one basis
2) Effective in the first few hours after the event & are short
3) Allows immediate, initial venting & may eliminate the need for a formal debriefing

Question 42

Bloodborne pathogens of primary concern to EMRs:

Answer 42

1) Hepatitis B
2) Hepatitis C
3) HIV

Question 43

Always dispose of gloves and other PPE in a proper:

Answer 43

biohazard container