| Microorganisms | Tiny, usually microscopic, entities capable of carrying on living processes. |
| What does infection prevention and control involve? | The implementation of policies and procedures in hospitals and other health care facilities to minimize the spread of health care- associated or community- acquired infections to patients and other staff members. |
| Asepsis | The absence of pathogenic microorganisms |
| What two categories is asepesis divided into? | Medical asepsis (consists of techniques that inhibit the growth and transmission of pathogenic microorganisms. Also known as clean technique.
Surgical asepsis ( consists of techniques designed to destroy all microorganisms and their spores also known as sterile technique). |
| What are three forms of anthrax infections? | Cutaneous, gastrointestinal, inhalation |
| What six elements are needed for infection? | Infection: Pathogenic microorganism
Reservoir: infected individual or animal
Exit route: secretions, feces, blood, urine
Method of transmission: hands, contaminated food, air droplets, contaminated needle
Entrance: mouth, break in skin and mucous membrane
Host: another person |
| How do you prevent the transmission of an infection? | Cycle must be interrupted. Medical asepsis is an effective give way to disrupt cycle. |
| What can pathogens be? | Bacteria, viruses, yeasts, fungi, and Protozoa. |
| What environments can microorganisms live in? | Unwashed hands, wound drainage, soiled linen, and decaying teeth. |
| What is disinfection? | The use of a chemical that can be applied to objects to destroy microorganisms. |
| What is antiseptic? | A substance that tends to inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms and may be used on humans. |
| Aerobic bacteria | Grow only in the presence of oxygen. |
| What is a spore? | A round body that is formed by the bacterium when conditions are unfavorable for growth of the bacterium. It enlarges until it is as large as the bacterial cell and is surrounded by a capsule. |
| Anaerobic bacteria | Grow only in the absence of oxygen. |
| Spores have a high resistance to what? | Heat and disinfectants. |
| What are three forms of anthrax infections? | Cutaneous, gastrointestinal, inhalation |
| What is the smallest known agent to cause disease? | Viruses |
| What is the most common disease found in humans? | Fungal (mycotic) |
| What are examples of systemic fungal infections? | Valley fever and histoplasmosis (a systemic fungal respiratory disease) |
| What is Protozoa? | Single celled animals. Responsible for Alaric, amebic dysentery, and African sleeping sickness. |
| What is a reservior? | Any natural habitat of a microorganism that promotes growth and reproduction. |
| What is a carrier or vector? | Person or animal that does not ;become ill but harbors and spreads an organism, causing disease in others. |
| What is a contaminated vehicle? | Means by which microorganisms are carried about and transported to the next host, once they left the reservior. |
| What is contamination? | Condition o being soiled, stained, touched by, or otherwise exposed to harmful agents, which makes an object potentially unsafe for use. |
| What factors affect immunologic defense mechanisms? | Chemotherapy
Diagnostic procedures
Disease processes
Environmental factors
Fatigue
Hereditary factors
Increasing age and extreme youth
Lifestyle
Medical therapy
Nutritional status
Occupation
Radiation
Stress
Trauma
Travel history |
| What is the bodies response to injury or infection at a cellular level? | Inflammation |
| What are signs of inflammation? | Edema(swelling), rubor(redness), heat, pain, or tenderness, and loss of functioning the affected body part. |
| When inflammation becomes systemic, what are other signs and symptoms that may develop? | Fever, leukocytosis(increase white blood cell count), malaise(generalized discomfort), anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and lymph node enlargement. |
| Health care-associated infection (HAI) is also known as what? | Nosocomial infection |
| What is virulent? | Exceedingly pathogenic |
| What is an exogenous? | Growing outside the body is caused by microorganisms from another person. |
| What are the duties of an infection control nurse? | Assessing microorganism sensitivity to antibiotics presently in use and communicating with medical staff regarding current sensitivity and resistance patterns.
Compiling data and analyzing the results regarding the epidemiology of heath-care associated infections.
Conferring with various hospital departments and other resources to investigate unusual events or clusters of infection.
Education patients and families in the prevention and control of infection.
Identifying infection control problems associated with medical and patient equipment.
Notifying the local public health department of incidences of specific reportable communicable diseases.
Proving stuff education on infection prevention and control. |
| What is occupational health service? | Measures to protect the health care worker and patient from certain infections. |
| What are the CDC guidelines? | To interrupt the chain of infection and reduce transmission sion of blood borne pathogens and other potentially infectious materials. |
| What is the most single most important and basic preventive technique that health care workers scan use to interrupt the infectious process? | Hand hygiene. |
| What are examples of airborne droplet nuclei? | Measles
Varicella zoster
Tuberculosis |
| When is the risk of exposure greatest? | Before diagnosis is made and isolation precautions are implemented. |
| The use of an alcohol-based surgical hand runs is acceptable as long as it meets what administration? | US Food and Drug Administration. |
| What is cleaning? | The removal of foreign materials, such as soil and organic material, from objects. |
| What is disinfection? | Used to destroy microorganisms. It does not destroy spores. |
| What is sterilization? | Refers to methods used to kill al microorganisms, including spores. There are two types of sterilization: physical and chemical. |
| Physical method of disinfection and sterilization? | Steam under pressure, or moist heat, is the most practical and dependable method for destruction of all microorganisms, process os called sterilization. Examples of sterilization equipment are the autoclave, pressure cooker, which is used in a home environment.
Boiling water is the best method for home use.
Radiation is used to sterilize4 pharmaceutical goods, foods, and heat-sensitive items.
Dry heat is a method used for disinfection articles that are destroyed but moisture. |
| Chemical process of disinfection and sterilization? | Gas is used for sterilization that destroys spores formed by bacteria.
Chemical solutions often used to disinfect instruments because they are effective in destroying microorganisms. |
| What is the recommended room temperature? | 68 to 74 degrees |
| What can keep stale air and odors from lingering in the room? | Good ventilation |
| What is the Fowler’s to high Fowler’s position? | Head of bed raised to angle of 45 degrees or more; semi-sitting to full upright sitting position. |
| What is semi-Fowler’s position? | Head of bed raised approximately 30 degrees. |
| What is trendelenburgs position? | Entire bed tilted downward toward head of bed with no break in the middle of the bed. |
| What is reverse trendelenburgs position? | Entire bed frame tilted downward toward foot of bed with no break in the middle of the bed. |
| What is flat position? | Entire bed frame parallel with floor. |
| What is a sitz bath? | It cleanses and aids in reducing inflammation of the perineal and anal areas of the patient what has undergone rectal or vaginal surgery or childbirth. Relieves discomfort from hemorrhoids or a fissure. |
| What is the first line of defense against infection by invasion of pathogenic organisms? | Intact skin. |
| What are characteristics of normal skin? | Good turgor; smooth and soft
Intact without abrasions
Localized changes in texture across surface
Skin color variations from body part to body part
Warm and moist |
| What two mechanical factors play a common role in the development of pressure injuries? | Shearing force which occurs when the. Tissue layers of skin slide on each other, causing subcutaneous blood vessels to kink or stretch and resulting in an interruption of blood flow to the skin.
Friction. The rubbing of skin against another surface procedures friction, which may remove layers of tissue. |
| What are the four stages of pressure injury? | Stage 1: pressure injury is a localized area of skin, typically over a bony prominence, that is intact and nonblanchable redness.
Stage 2: involves partial-thickness loss of dermis.
Stage 3: involves full thickness tissue loss, in which subcutaneous fat is sometimes visible, but bone, tendon, and muscle are not exposed.
Stage 4: involves full thickness tissue los with exposed bone, tendon, cartilage, or muscle. |
| What is unstageable/unclassified pressure injuries? | Full-thickness tissue loss, a wound base covered by slough (yellow, tan, gray, green, or brown), and scar in the wound bed that usually is tan brown or black. |
| What is suspected deep tissue pressure injury | The wound appears as a localized purple maroon area of discolored intact skin or a blood-filled blister. This is caused by underlying soft tissue damage from pressure or shear. |
| How often is a catheter care provided for all patients? | Two times daily. |
| What does safe environment imply? | Freedom from injury and prevention of falls, electrical injuries, fires, burns, and poisoning. |
| What does the joint commission release each year? | National patient safety goals for health care facilities. |
| What is sentinel event? | Any unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological injury, or risk thereof. |
| What are safety reminder devices(SRDs)? | Any of the numerous devices used to immobilize a patient or part of the patient’s body. |
| How often does a facility require that a health care provider order for SRDs be renewed? | Every 24 hours. |
| What are some essentials of SRD documentation? | Reason for physical restraint, explanation given to patient and family, date and time of the patient’s response to treatment, duration, frequency of observation and patient’s response, safety, release the physical restraint at least every 2 hours. |
| What don’t you do in the event of a mercury spill? | Do not vacuum the spill. |
| What is an active shooter defined as by the US Department of Homeland Security? | And individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; no pattern or selection of victims. |
| What is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)? | A federal organization that provides guidelines to help reduce safety hazards in the workplace. |
| Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)? | A federal agency that provides facilities and services for the investigation, identification, prevention, and control of disease. |
| What is RACE? | R: rescue and remove all patients in immediate danger.
A: activate the alarm. Always do so before attempting to extinguish even a minor fire.
C: confine the fire by closing doors and windows and turning off all oxygen and electrical equipment.
E: extinguish the fire using an extinguisher. |
| What is PASS? | P: pull the pin to unlock the handle.
A: aim low at the base of the fire.
S: squeeze the handle.
S: sweep the unit from side to side. |
| Disaster are referred to as what? | External: originates outside the health care facility and results in an influx of casualties brought to the facility.
Internal: represents an extraordinary situation that is brought about by events within the health care facility, such as a fire. |
| What is terrorism? | A violent or dangerous act used to intimidate or coerce a person or government to further a political or social agenda. |
| What is bioterrorism? | Use of biological agents to create fear and to threaten. |
| What is and endemic? | The expected or normal incidence native to or occurring naturally to a specific area or environment. |
| What are pulmonary agents (type of agents that may be used in chemical terrorism)? | Include the gases chlorine, phosgene, ammonia, and hydrochloride acid. Symptoms take up to 2 to 24 hours to appear. Fluid in the lungs leads to hypovolemia and hypotension. |
| What are incapacitating agents (types of agents that my be used in chemical terrorism)? | Include 3-quinculidinyl benzilate, a glycolate anticholingeric compound typically known as its NATO code BZ and agent 15. These agents impair rather than kill or seriously injure they victim. The effects include decreased organ function, hyperthermia, hallucinations, altered perceptions, erratic behavior. |
| What are cyanide agents (types of agents that may be used in chemical terrorism)? | Hydrogen cyanide is one example. A patient in severe respiratory distress without cyanosis has probably been exposed to cyanide. Has a pungent odor similar to bitter almonds or peaches. Death occurs within 5 to 10 minutes. |
| What is nerve agent (types of agents that may be used in chemical terrorism)? | Taubin, sarin, soman, and v-agents are some of the most toxic nerve agents. Death in a matter of minutes. Symptoms include increased saliva production chest pressure, rhinorrhea, vomiting, muscle weakness, incontinence, and convulsions. |
| What are vesicant agents (types of agents that may be used in chemical terrorism)? | Sulfur mustard (H), distilled mustard (DH), nitrogen mustard (HN 1,3), mustargen (HN 2), lewisite (L), and phosgene oxide (OX). More lethal than pulmonary agents and cyanide agents. Sulfur mustard smells like mustard or garlic. Symptoms appear within 4 to 8 hours, but cellular damage occurs in 2 minutes with agents such as lewisite and phosgene. Vesicants affect the skin, the eyes, and the airway. Large dosage affects the bone marrow. |
| What are vesicant agents (types of agents that may be used in chemical terrorism)? | Sulfur mustard (H), distilled mustard (DH), nitrogen mustard (HN 1,3), mustargen (HN 2), lewisite (L), and phosgene oxide (OX). More lethal than pulmonary agents and cyanide agents. Sulfur mustard smells like mustard or garlic. Symptoms appear within 4 to 8 hours, but cellular damage occurs in 2 minutes with agents such as lewisite and phosgene. Vesicants affect the skin, the eyes, and the airway. Large dosage affects the bone marrow. |
| What acute infection disease does Bacillus anthracis cause? | Anthrax |
| B. Anthracis spores can live where? | In the soil for many years. |
| How is Rocky Mountain spotted fever transmitted? | Transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick. |
| What is Protozoa responsible for? | Malaria, amebic dysentery and African sleeping sickness. |
| What is a reservior? | Any natural habitat of a microorganism that promotes growth and reproduction. |
| What is a fomite? | Inanimate (no living) object. Example: computer in a health care facility. |
| What is the dirtiest part of a building? | Floor. |
