Asepsis and Infection Control

Question 1

Who is Hippocrates?

Answer 1

Father of western medicine
- First attempt preventing infection, simple treatments then strong drugs then surgery

Question 2

Who is Lister?

Answer 2

Discovered antiseptic used to disinfect surgical equipment/supplies
- Chemical antiseptic controlling surgery related infection

Question 3

Who is Holmes?

Answer 3

Showed diseases can be spread via HCP

Question 4

Who is Semmelweis?

Answer 4

Washed hands (communicable)

Question 5

Types of MOs?

Answer 5

Bacteria, virus, parasite, fungi

Question 6

What is the disease process?

Answer 6

1. MOs find host
2. Grows in a specific environment (temperature, pH, moisture
3. Causes damage to the body via
   - Depleting nutrients
   - Reproducing themselves
   - Makes body cells the target of their own dfenses
   - Produces toxins

Question 7

Types of infection?

Answer 7

Local vs. System

Acute vs. Chronic

Question 8

Local infection?

Answer 8

Limited to the specific part of the body where the MOs remain

Question 9

System infection?

Answer 9

MOs spread and damage different parts of the body

Question 10

Acute infection?

Answer 10

Generally appearing suddenly and lasting for a short amount of time

Question 11

Chronic infection?

Answer 11

May occur slowly over a long period of time, can last months/years

Question 12

Stages of infection?

Answer 12

1. Incubation- Pathogen to the appearance of first s/s
2. Prodromal stage- Early s/s of a disease, vague and non specific
3. Full stage illness- Presence of s/s
4. Convalescent period- Recovery for the infection’s s/s to disappear

Question 13

What is at risk for infection?

Answer 13

Immunocompromised, exposure, and invasive procedures

Question 14

Immunocompromised definition?

Answer 14

Low resistance to infectious MOs

Question 15

Exposure definition?

Answer 15

Increased number of disease causing organisms and types of disease causing organisms

Question 16

Invasive procedures definition?

Answer 16

Going into the body past normal body boundaries

Question 17

What are the three ways of infection control?

Answer 17

Sanitization, disinfection, sterilization

Question 18

What is sanitzation?

Answer 18

Reduces microbial population, medical asepsis (washing hands)

Question 19

What is disinfection?

Answer 19

Destruction of most infectious agents of an object, medical asepsis (Lysol)

Question 20

What is sterilization?

Answer 20

Removal of all MOs and spores, removing killing and deactivating, surgical asepsis

Question 21

Infection definition?

Answer 21

Invasion of body tissue by MOs and their growth

Question 22

Infectious agent definition?

Answer 22

MOs invade the body and cause infection

Question 23

Asymptomatic definition?

Answer 23

MO produces no clinical evidence of disease

Question 24

Disease definition?

Answer 24

Detectable alteration in normal tissue function

Question 25

Communicable definition?

Answer 25

Infectious agent can be transmitted to an individual by (in)direct contact/airborne infection

Question 26

Pathogenicity definition?

Answer 26

Virulence- ability to produce disease, spread

Question 27

Pathogen definition?

Answer 27

MO that causes disease - Varies in virulence - Varies in disease severity and communicability degree

Question 28

Asepsis definition?

Answer 28

Freedom from disease causing MOs (minimize)

Question 29

Medical asepsis definition?

Answer 29

Includes all practices intended to restrict a specific MO to a specific area - Considered clean/dirty - Limits number and growth transmission

Question 30

Surgical asepsis definition?

Answer 30

'Sterile technique' refers to practices that keep an area/object free of MOs - Practices destroying MOs and spores - Used for all procedures with sterile areas of body

Question 31

Sepsis definition?

Answer 31

Infection, disease causing MOs

Question 32

What are droplet precautions?

Answer 32

Surgical mask within 3ft of patient with patient in a private room - If not available, they can't be placed in the same room with another patient of the same infection - Distance between individuals infected/not infected= 3ft