Safety in Laboratory Flashcards
(31 cards)
Formalized to protect the health care associate and the patient
Standards and procedures
Developed by a patient 48 hours or more after admission or within 30 days after discharge from hospital or health care facility
Nosocomial infection
Occurs before 48 hours after admission. Picked up prior to admission
Community acquired infection
Infection restricted to one area of the body
Local infection
affects the entire body
systemic infection
If the organism that causes infection and disease spreads from person to person
Communicable infection
What are the chain of infection
- Source
- Portal of exist
- Means of transmission
- Portal of entry
- Susceptible host
People, equipment, water
Source
Excretion, secretion, droplets
Portal of exit
Direct contract, ingestion, formites, air
Means of transmission
Mucous membrane, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, broken skin
Portal of entry
Immunosuppressed patient, diabetic patient, burn patient
Susceptible host
Infection can come from the source’s own flora known as
autogenous infection
physical transfer of infective material from the source to susceptible host
Direct contact
Transfer of infective material via an object, such as bed linens
Indirect contact
travel 1 meter or less from the infected individual
droplet
droplets that travel on air currents, such as tuberculosis
Airborne
transfer of infective material through contaminated items, such as food
Vehicle
Transmission of the infected material through insects
Vector
Developed in 1985 by the CDC as a response to the increase blood-borne diseases such as AIDS and Hepatitis B
Universal precautions
Assumed that all blood and most body fluids were potentially infectious
Universal precaution
Creates a first tier of precautions for all patients regardless of their diagnosis or infectious status
Standard precaution
Physical and mechanical devices that are available to the health care associate to reduce or eliminate the potential to transfer infectious diseases
Engineering controls
Practices that are incorporated into all healthcare associates’ work habits to prevent the spread of infection
Work practice protocol