(IC) Infection Control Module Overview

Infection Control

Prevention of infection is the primary focus of a healthcare worker. Prevention of infection contributes to the safety of the environment and improves the quality of care delivery. This unit will review familiar elements of microbiology and introduce methods to control the spread of microorganisms. One of the biggest concerns of healthcare workers today is infection control.  How can the healthcare worker be successful in helping others who have illnesses without getting the illness themselves?  We talked a little about that in the safety unit when we discussed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Remember? Those included gloves, gowns, masks, goggles, and any equipment that would provide a barrier between the worker and the client.  Sometimes it's the client that needs to be protected from an illness that a healthcare worker may have and sometimes it's the other way around.

Infections and illnesses are caused by several things.  Some of them, like cancer, just seems to happen and are a result of improper changes in cells - others are a result of the body attacking itself, such as arthritis, and lupus - and still others are a result of a microorganism that is harmful to the body being able to get into the body and affect it. These microorganisms that cause disease are called pathogens.

Essential Questions

  1. What is asepsis?
  2. Why is asepsis and infection prevention important in the classroom, laboratory, and healthcare environment?
  3. What are examples of physical infection control methods?
  4. What are examples of chemical infection control methods?
  5. How could microbial growth be controlled or prevented through physical and chemical methods?
  6. What explanation exists for the evolution and spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens?
  7. What is an analysis of how microorganisms are spread?
  8. How would the proper use of PPE and personal safety procedures based on OSHA and CDCP guidelines be demonstrated?
  9. What methods control the spread and growth of microorganisms?
  10. How are Hospital Acquired Infections identified and reported?
  11. What is an immunization schedule?
  12. What are microorganisms and how do they affect the body?
  13. What is the chain of infection?
  14. What is the proper procedure for aseptic hand-washing?
  15. What are universal precautions and how are they used to prevent the spread of disease?

Module Minute

Healthcare procedures are often conducted using aseptic techniques. This process provides an environment that is absent of disease-producing microorganisms and decreases the risk of contamination in the classroom, laboratory, and healthcare environment. Infectious agents are spread from one person or host to another via touch or other transmission methods. Individuals with a compromised immune system are susceptible to becoming the new home for the infection. Physical infection control methods, such as hand washing and use of PPE, along with chemical methods, i.e., disinfection/sterilization break the chain of infection by removing the infectious agent. Physical and chemical control methods decrease the risk of infection transmission within the hospital. Some microorganisms are less of a threat to those individuals that have completed the vaccine immunization schedule and developed an immunity to conditions such as the Hepatitis B Virus. The WHO cites a high percentage of hospital-acquired infections are caused by resistant bacteria that have evolved so significantly that the latest generation of antibiotics has been rendered ineffective. This finding indicates that resistant infectious diseases will contribute to increased healthcare costs and potentially become untreatable.

Key Terms

  1. Microorganism – small living organism not visible to the human eye.
  2. Asepsis – the absence of disease-producing microorganisms
  3. Chain of infection – the process of an infectious agent exiting a reservoir and entering a host or person.
  4. Communicable disease – a disease that can be spread from one person to another.
  5. Hospital-acquired infections – infections acquired in a healthcare facility.
  6. Standard precautions – guidelines developed by the CDC to reduce the risk of transmission of pathogenic organisms.
  7. Pathogens – microorganisms that cause disease reservoir – a place where a pathogenic agent can live.
  8. Disinfection – the process of killing pathogenic organisms.
  9. Bacteria – a large group of unicellular microorganisms that have cell walls but lack organelles and an organized nucleus, including some that can cause disease.
  10. Fungi – any of a group of unicellular, multicellular, or syncytial spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter, including molds, yeast, mushrooms, and toadstools.
  11. Rickettsiae – any of a group of very small bacteria that includes the causative agents of typhus and various other febrile diseases in humans. Like viruses, many of them can only grow inside living cells, and they are frequently transmitted by mites, ticks, or lice.
  12. Viruses – an infective agent that typically consists of a nucleic acid molecule in a protein coat, is too small to be seen by light microscopy and is able to multiply only within the living cells of a host
  13. Opportunistic Infections - affecting patients only or chiefly when the immune system is depressed.
  14. Autoclave - a strong heated container used for chemical reactions and other processes using high pressures and temperatures, e.g. steam sterilization

 

[CC BY 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION