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22 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
Differentiate among healthcare-associated, community-acquired, and iatrogenic infections
Healthcare associated is an infection acquired inside the hospital, community acquired is outside hospital
List the seven pathogens that most commonly cause healthcare-associated infections

Gram-positive cocci:


Staphylococcus aureus,


coagulase-negative staphylococci,


Enterococcus spp.


Gram-negative bacilli:


Escherichia coli,


Pseudomonas aeruginosa,


Enterobacter spp.,


Klebsiella spp.

State the four most common types of healthcare-associated infections

1. Urinary tract infections (UTIs)


2. Surgical site infections (also referred to as postsurgical wound infections)


3. Lower respiratory tract infections (primarily pneumonia)


4. Bloodstream infections (septicemia)

List six types of patients who are especially vulnerable to healthcare-associated infections

Elderly patients


Women in labor and delivery


Premature infants and newborns


Surgical and burn patients


Diabetic, cancer, and transplant patients


Patients receiving treatment with steroids, anticancer drugs, antilymphocyte serum, and radiation


Immunosuppressed patients


Patients who are paralyzed or are undergoing renal dialysis or catheterization

State the three major contributing factors in healthcare-associated infections

- Increased number of drug resistant pathogens


- Failure of healthcare personnel to follow


infection control guidelines


- Increased number of immunocompromised


patients

Additional Factors Contributing to HAIs

Overcrowding of hospitals and shortages of healthcare staff


The indiscriminate use of antimicrobial agents


A false sense of security about antimicrobial agents


Lengthy and more complicated types of surgery


Increased use of less highly trained healthcare workers


Increased use of anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant agents


Overuse and improper use of indwelling devices

Healthcare epidemiology
is the study of the occurrence, determinants, and distribution of health and disease within healthcare settings
focus of healthcare epidemiology

infection control and the prevention of healthcare-associated infections.


includes any activities designed to study and improve patient care outcomes

State the most important and effective way to reduce the number of healthcare-associated infections
Wash your hands
Medical asepsis
Precautionary measures necessary to prevent direct transfer of pathogens from person to person and indirect transfer of pathogens through the air or on instruments, bedding, equipment, and other inanimate objects (fomites)
Surgical asepsis or sterile technique
Practices used to render and keep objects and areas sterile

Differentiate between medical and surgical asepsis


Asepsis means “without infection”;

Medical asepsis is a clean technique, whereas surgical asepsis is a sterile technique


The goal of medical asepsis is to exclude pathogens, whereas the goal of surgical asepsis is to exclude all microbes.

Differentiate between standard precautions and transmission-based precautions and state the three types of transmission-based precautions



The three types of Transmission-Based Precautions are


Contact Precautions


Droplet Precautions


Airborne Precautions

Contact Precautions

Divided into two subgroups:


direct contact (i.e., transfer of microorganisms from body surface to body surface)


indirect contact (i.e., transfer of microbes through a contaminated intermediate object)

Droplet Precautions

mask


hand washing


patient gets private room or quarantine


limit transport


patient has to wear a mask

Airborne Precautions

airborne infection isolation room: air goes in, not out


limit patient transport


masks

Describe the type of patients placed in protective environment
severe burns or leukemia, leukopenic patients, patients receiving radiation treatment, premature infants
Cite three important considerations in the handling of each of the following in healthcare settings: food, eating utensils, fomites, and sharps

Food:


Using high-quality, fresh food


Properly refrigerating and storing food


Properly washing, preparing, and cooking food


Eating utensils:


Thoroughly washing hands and nails before handling foods


Keeping all cutting boards and other surfaces scrupulously clean


Washing cooking and eating utensils in a dishwasher with a water temperature of >80C.


Fomites:


Use disposable equipment and supplies whenever possible


Disinfect or sterilize equipment soon after useUse individual equipment for each patient


Sharps:


Dispose of sharps in specifically designed puncture-resistant containers (“sharps containers”).



Standard precautions
are to be applied to the care of ALL patients in ALL healthcare settings, regardless of the suspected or confirmed presence of an infectious agent.
Transmission-Based Precautions
are used for patients who are known or suspected to be infected or colonized with highly transmissible or epidemiologically important pathogens for which additional safety precautions beyond Standard Precautions are required to interrupt transmission within healthcare settings
List six responsibilities of the Infection Control Committee

1. Know about infectious disease processes, reservoirs, incubation periods, periods of communicabilaty


2. Conduct surveillance and epidemiologic investigations


3. Prevent transmission of pathogens to include strategies for hand hygiene, antisepsis, cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, patient care settings, patient placement, medical waste disposal, and implementation of outbreak procedures


4. Manage facility's infections control program


5. Communicate with the public, staff, and local health departments concerning infection control related issues


6. Evaluate new medical products that could be associated with increased infection risk

State three ways in which the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory participates in infection control

1. Monitor the types and numbers of pathogens isolated from hospitalized patients


2. Perform antimicrobial susceptibility testing, detecting emerging resistance patterns, and preparing and distributing reports (pocket charts)


3. Process environmental samples to pinpoint an exact source of a pathogen outbreak