Cnt Definitions

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Any agent that kills or suppresses the growth of microorganisms.

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Antimicrobial agent

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Substance that prevents or arrests the growth or action of microorganisms by inhibiting their activity or by destroying them. The term is used especially for preparations applied topically to living tissue.

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Antiseptic

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Techniques for preventing infection during invasive procedures such as surgical operations, dressing wounds, or some laboratory procedures. Acupuncture is a clean rather than sterile procedure. Nevertheless, acupuncture needles must be kept in a sterile condition for use in CNT.

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Aseptic techniques

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Prevention of contact with microorganisms

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Asepsis

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Activities, disciplines and methods that are available to identify, implement, and monitor the available evidence in healthcare, such as those practices meant to enhance patient care or limit risks.

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Best Practices

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The area that has been prepared to contain the equipment necessary for acupuncture in such a way as to protect the sterility of the needles. By extension, this includes not only the clean surface on which equipment will be placed, but also the patient’s skin around prepared acupuncture points, and anything that touches the skin.

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Clean field

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The use of techniques (such as antisepsis, disinfection, sterilization, handwashing, and isolation of sharps) designed to reduce the risk of infection of patients, practitioners, and office personnel by reducing the number of pathogens, thereby reducing the chances for contact between the pathogens and the patients and personnel.

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Clean technique

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The introduction of contaminating viruses, bacteria, or other organisms into or onto previously clean or sterile objects, rendering them unclean or non-sterile.

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Contamination

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According to OSHA, "the use of physical or chemical means to remove, inactivate, or destroy bloodborne pathogens on a surface or item to the point where they are no longer capable of transmitting infectious particles and the surface or item is rendered safefor handling, use, or disposal." [29 CFR 1910.1030] In health-care facilities, the term generally refers to all pathogenic organisms.

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Decontamination

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Usually a chemical agent (but sometimes a physical agent) that destroys disease-causing pathogens or other harmful microorganisms, but might not kill bacterial spores. It refers to substances applied to inanimate objects.

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Disinfectant:

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An agent capable of killing when used in sufficient concentration under suitable conditions. It therefore is expected to kill all other microorganisms.

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High-level disinfectant

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An agent that destroys all vegetative bacteria, including tubercle bacilli, lipid and some nonlipid viruses, and fungi, but not bacterial spores.

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Intermediate-level disinfectant

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An agent that destroys all vegetative bacteria (except tubercle bacilli), lipid viruses, some nonlipid viruses, and some fungi, but not bacterial spore

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Low-level disinfectant

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An infection that is acquired from healthcare-associated facilities and procedures, including hospitals and other than acute-care facilities; and infections acquired through outpatient care.

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Nosocomial Infection

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Other potentially infectious material. OPIM includes synovial fluid, amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, pleural fluid, semen and vaginal secretions, peritoneal fluid, pericardial fluid, saliva (in dental procedures only), and any fluids visibly contaminated with blood or stool. OPIM includes all body fluids where it may be difficult to differentiate between contaminated and non-contaminated fluids.

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OPIM

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Specialized clothing or equipment worn by an employee for protection against a hazard. General work clothes (e.g., uniforms, pants, shirts) not intended to function as protection against a hazard are not in this category.

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Personal protective equipment (PPE)

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An agent that reduces the number of bacterial contaminants to safe levels as judged by public health requirements, that is commonly used with substances applied to inanimate objects. It is a chemical that kills 99.999% of the specific test bacteria in 30 seconds under the conditions of the test.

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Sanitizer

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Often synonymous with “customary practice.” It is a legal term that is commonly defined as what a minimally competent healthcare provider in the same field would do in the same situation, with the same resources.

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Standard Practice

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A set of basic infection prevention practices intended to prevent transmission of infectious diseases from one person to another. Seehttp://www.cdc.gov/HAI/settings/

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Standard Precautions

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A validated process used to render a product free of all forms of viable microorganisms. The presence of microorganisms on any individual item can be expressed in terms of probability. Although this probability can be reduced to a very low number, it can never be reduced to zero

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Sterilization