The document discusses infection control practices including proper hand hygiene, isolation precautions, exposure control procedures, and employee health policies. It emphasizes that hand washing is the best way to prevent infection and outlines proper hand washing technique. It also describes standard precautions that should be used for all patients, the different types of isolation precautions, and what to do if a patient is suspected of having tuberculosis. The document provides guidance on handling potential exposure to blood or body fluids, including getting vaccinated against hepatitis B.

1. Infection Control
Employee Health
Beverly Hood, MT
Infection Control
04/08/15 1

2. Objectives
 Learner will understand basic practices of infection
prevention with emphasis on proper hand hygiene
 Learner can discuss the concept of standard
precautions and explain the 3 types of isolation
precautions giving examples of each
 Learner will understand how to avoid exposure to
blood or body fluid. Engineering and work safety
controls will be discussed, along with the process for
handling blood/body fluid exposures.
04/08/15 2

3. The best way to protect yourself
from most infections??
HAND HYGIENE!!
04/08/15 3

4. 2 ways to clean your
hands:
 Washing with soap and
water
 Sanitizing with an alcohol-
based hand rub
04/08/15 4

5. When to wash??
 If hands visibly soiled
 After using restroom-
ALWAYS!
04/08/15 5

6. How to wash??
 Get paper towel ready (IMPORTANT!)
 Wet hands
 Apply soap; scrub 15-20 seconds
 Rinse
 Dry
 Use paper towel as BARRIER to turn off
faucet, open door
04/08/15 6

7. When to use hand sanitizers:
 After removing PPE
 Going from room to room
 After touching specimen
containers, etc.
04/08/15 7

8. What about acrylic
fingernails?
Acrylic nails should
not be worn by any
direct patient
caregiver
04/08/15 8

9. Isolation Precautions
 Contact—organisms spread by touch
MRSA (Staph.), VRE, Clostridium difficile
 Droplet—droplets carrying organisms in air
within 3 ft of patient
(influenza, Strep throat)
 Airborne—droplet nuclei in air, just like
“floating dust particles”
(tuberculosis, chickenpox, measles)
04/08/15 9

10. Tuberculosis Symptoms
 Persistent cough (>3 weeks)
 Unexplained weight loss
 Night sweats
 Fever
 Chest pain
 Fatigue
 Coughing up blood
04/08/15 10

11. What to do if symptom screen
positive??
 Most important: MASK THE
PATIENT!!
 Notify the physician
04/08/15 11

12. Negative pressure room
 Air not recirculated into hospital
 >6 air exchanges per hour
04/08/15 12

13. N95 mask
 Wear upon entering a negative
pressure room
 Fit testing/fit checking
 Reusable
04/08/15 13

14. What does a positive TB skin
test mean?
You’ve been exposed!!
It doesn’t mean you have active
disease or can infect others
(unless you have symptoms).
04/08/15 14

15. Risk Assessment for TB
P&S Surgical Hospital is a low risk facility:
 Any potential TB patient is immediately
transferred to SFMC
 Rare or no employee skin test
conversions
This low risk status requires us to perform
employee TB testing only once annually.
04/08/15 15

16. Standard Precautions
Pretend every patient is infected
with a bloodborne pathogen like
HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C.
Treat all with respect and caution. Use
barriers and safety devices when
performing tasks with exposure
potential
04/08/15 16

17. Bloodborne Pathogens
Exposure Control Plan
Details how to work as safely as possible
Risk of transmission of bloodborne
viruses (organisms carried in blood
that cause disease):
HIV <1:1000
Hepatitis C: <2%
Hepatitis B: up to 30% if unvaccinated
04/08/15 17

18. Hepatitis B Vaccine
 Made from yeast
 Renders lifetime immunity to more than
95% of people who get the series of 3
injections
 Given in the arm: an initial, 1 month
later, the last 6 months after initial
04/08/15 18

19. Engineering Controls
 Autoclaves, sterilizers
 Biological safety cabinets
 Special tools: safetyglide needles,
needleless IV systems, safety cannulas
and butterflies, etc.
 Special containers such as sharps
boxes, regulated waste bags, biohazard
laundry bags
04/08/15 19

20. Work Practice Controls
How to perform your job safely
 Handle sharps carefully
 Minimize splashing
 Keep food and drinks away from infectious material
 Cover cuts and scrapes
 Wear PPE (personal protective equipment) when
needed
04/08/15 20

21. Universal Biohazard Symbol
04/08/15 21

22. What is regulated waste??
 If you can squeeze blood/body fluid out
of it, it’s regulated waste
 If dried blood could flake off it, it’s
regulated waste
 Used sharps like blades, needles,
razors, etc.
 Microbiological and pathological waste
04/08/15 22

23. Cleaning/disinfecting
Blood/BBF spills:
Can use
 hospital-approved disinfectant such as
Cavicide (preferred)
Or
 10% bleach, made fresh daily
04/08/15 23

24. I’VE BEEN STUCK!!!!!!!
04/08/15 24

25. What to do??
 Wash the site
 Notify your Manager ; complete an
occurrence report
04/08/15 25

26. Employee Health
 Latex allergy
 Influenza Vaccine
 Varicella Vaccine for high risk
staff
 Illness reporting
 Hepatitis B Vaccine
04/08/15 26

27. What have you learned??
04/08/15 27

28. What’s the best way to protect
yourself from most infections?
a. Wear a mask
b. Stay at home, away from crowds
c. Practice hand hygiene, either washing
or sanitizing
d. Take antibiotics
#104/08/15 28

29. When do you practice
Standard Precautions?
a. When you know a patient has HIV
b. When you’re taking care of a patient in
the Surgery Dept.
c. When a patient is first admitted
d. All the time
#204/08/15 29

30. What’s the most important thing to do
when you suspect a patient has
tuberculosis?
a. Run
b. Put a mask on
c. Put a mask on the patient
d. Call the physician
#304/08/15 30

31. How often are our employees
tested for tuberculosis?
a. Just once, the day they’re hired
b. Every quarter
c. Annually
d. At least annually, based upon the risk
assessment of the hospital
#404/08/15 31

32. What kind of blood/body fluid
exposure is considered the most
serious?
a. Any kind
b. Urine in the face
c. A patient biting you
d. A patient’s blood touches your blood
(blood to blood contact)
#504/08/15 32

33. What’s the first thing to do if
you have a BBF exposure?
a. Wash the site
b. Go to SFMC Emergency Dept.
c. Fill out an incident report
d. Put bleach on the site
#604/08/15 33

34. Hepatitis B vaccine is offered
to which employees?
a. All
b. Nursing staff
c. People who draw blood from patients
d. Risk Category 1 depts. (staff who are
at risk of blood exposures)
#704/08/15 34

35. 04/08/15 35