Unit 7: Safety, Infection Control, Immune System, and Mobility Skills
7.1: Safety & Infection Control – Notes
safety
______________________ is the condition of being protected from danger or injury. Maintaining
safe conditions in a healthcare facility consists of ___________________
avoiding danger, risks, injury,
and infection for patients, healthcare workers, and visitors. Regulations are usually spelled out
in the facility’s ________________________________.
safety manual
Certain rules are included in all safety manuals:
• always hold handrails when using stairs
________________________________________________________
• never run in a hallway
________________________________________________________
• do not prop open fire safety doors
________________________________________________________
• store items in a safe manner
________________________________________________________
• obey evacuation routes posted in the facility
________________________________________________________
emergency codes
Hospital ________________________________ alert healthcare workers to urgent situations.
They convey information causing panic among patients & visitors.
fire in the facility
– Code Red: __________________________________
cardiac arrest
– Code Blue: __________________________________
child abduction
– Code Pink: __________________________________
hazardous material spill
– Code Orange: __________________________________
dangerous person w/ weapon
– Code Silver: __________________________________
bomb threat
– Code Black: __________________________________
diasaster
A ______________________ is any sudden event that brings great damage, loss, or destruction.
terrorism
Examples: ___________________________ fires
___________________________
catastrophic accidents
___________________________ tornadoes
___________________________
earthquakes hurricanes
___________________________ ___________________________
explosions
___________________________ gun violence
___________________________
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Patient Safety
detail
Caring for patients requires serious attention to _____________________ to provide
competent
___________________ care and prevent accidents. Some patient safety guidelines are universal.
Examples:
• always identify the patient first
________________________________________________________
• explain the entire procedure and make sure you have the patients consent
________________________________________________________
• never perform a procedure for which you are not trained
________________________________________________________
• observe the patient carefully for any changes in condition or status
________________________________________________________
incident
An _____________________ is any event that is not a part of routine operations.
safety
Incident reports should be used to document both ________________ and
non-safety
____________________-related occurrences. The report must be filled out __________________,
immediately
completely, and _____________________ after the incident.
Employee Safety
It is important to maintain employee safety as well as patient safety.
OSHA
The ___________ educate
Hazard Communication Standard requires employers to _________________
employees about chemical hazards in the workplace.
material safety data sheets
______________________________________ (MSDS) should accompany every chemical used in a
healthcare facility.
Electrical Safety
burns
Failure to observe electrical safety can result in _____________, severe skin damage,
death
unconsciousness, or even ________________.
overload
Do not _________________ any electrical plugs or outlets.
facilities manual
Follow all electrical safety regulations in a ___________________________________.
2
Radiation Safety
machine
Radiation exposure can occur near any ___________________ radiation
that uses ____________________.
Factors involved in the degree of exposure:
• amount of radiation
_______________________________________
duration of exposure
• _______________________________________
• distance from the source
_______________________________________
• type of shielding used
_______________________________________
As Low As Reasonably Achievable
ALARA principle: ___________________________________________________
Fire Safety
Fire can occur where the three elements of the fire triangle are present:
fuel
_________________ heat
_________________ oxygen
_________________
Follow the facility’s evacuation routes and emergency plans.
rescue
RACE: __________________, alarm
__________________, contain
__________________, extinguish
__________________
5 types of fire extinguishers, contents, & uses:
pressurized water (for ordinary combustibles)
Type A: ___________________________________________________________________
carbon dioxide (for flammable liquids)
Type B: ___________________________________________________________________
dry chemical (for electrical equipment)
Type C: ___________________________________________________________________
class D dry chemical (for combustible metals)
Type D: ___________________________________________________________________
multi-purpose dry chemical (for ordinary combustibles, flammable liquids, and electrical and equipment fires)
Type E: ___________________________________________________________________
movements
Body mechanics relate to the proper use of body ______________________ to prevent
injury
_______________ physical
during the performance of __________________ tasks, such as lifting & sitting.
efficiency
Ergonomic practices seek to maximize ______________________ and prevent
discomfort
_____________________ or injury during the time a person is performing work tasks.
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sitting
Follow ergonomic practices when __________________, standing
_____________________,
reaching
___________________, lifting
and ______________________.
policies
Quality improvement (QI) is a term for ___________________ that motivate or require
healthcare facilities to _____________________
monitor and evaluate their services based on
improving
predetermined criteria for the purpose of _____________________ those services.
safety
___________________ criteria are a major part of quality improvement.
government
Several _____________________ agencies are involved in protecting health and safety.
Infection Control
microorganisms
Healthcare facilities battle continuously to prevent the spread of _______________________
disease
that can cause infectious __________________. These microorganisms, known as pathogens, can
present major problems both for _________________
patients and employees.
microorganisms
___________________________ include bacteria, viruses, & fungi.
aerobes
Some microorganisms require oxygen to live (_________________) and some require little to no
anaerobes
oxygen (____________________).
bacteria
______________________ are small, one-celled microorganisms that cannot be seen by the
pathogenic
naked eye; can be ___________________, but some are helpful to maintain the balance in the
form
environment inside our bodies. They are classified by ____________ structure
and ____________________.
antibiotics
Bacterial infections are treated with _______________________.
resistance
________________________ all
can develop if patients do not take _________ of their prescribed
not
antibiotics, antibiotics are prescribed when _______ needed, or _________________
genetic mutation of
bacteria has occurred.
viruses
__________________ living
are much smaller than bacteria and depend on a _______________ cell to
reproduce
survive because they cannot ___________________ on their own. They cause the common cold,
smallpox, chicken pox, measles, influenza, HPV, Herpes, AIDS and many more!
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time
Antibiotics do not kill viruses. Usually, ____________ rest
and ____________ are necessary to let
most of these illnesses run their course.
vaccines
________________________ have been developed against many viral diseases.
fungi
Some _____________ can cause disease, including athlete’s foot and certain lung diseases.
protozoa
_______________________ host
are larger than viruses and depend on a ____________ to survive and
replicate. Can cause amoebic dysentery, trichomoniasis, and malaria.
parasites
_______________________ organism
are organisms that live in or on another ____________________. They
normally choose fleas, lice, ticks or mites as their host organism. If one of these creatures bites
host
a human, that human’s body becomes the ___________.
antibiotic
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an ___________________-resistant
bacterium responsible for a difficult-to-treat infection.
MRSA is prevalent in hospitals, prisons, schools, and nursing homes or anywhere where residents
open wounds
with ___________________________ weakened
and ____________________ immune systems are confined
greater
in close quarters. These patients are at _____________ risk of infection than the general public.
chain of infection
The ____________________________ illustrates the sequence of events that allows infection to
invade the body. Reservoir
or Host
Modes of transmission include:
Susceptible Portal of
• person to person contact with infectious body secretions
direct contact: ___________________________________ Host Exit
(germs on hands)
________________________________________________
• pathogen comes from food, air, soil, feces, equipment,
indirect contact: ___________________________________
clothing, and more.
__________________________________________________ Portal of
Entry
Mode of
Transmission
• insects, rodents, or other small animals can spread pathogen by
vectors: ___________________________________________
biting a host.
__________________________________________________
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nosocomial
Hospital-acquired infections are called ________________________________. They can cause
pneumonia and infections of the bloodstream, urinary tract, and other parts of the body.
resistance
The reduced infection _____________________ of hospitalized patients contributes to the rate
break
of infections. Several methods are used to _______________ the chain of infection to control the
spread
___________________ of disease.
hand hygiene
_______________________________ is the single most important way to prevent the spread of
CDC
infection. The _________ has issued hand hygiene guidelines for healthcare workers. It takes at
20 seconds
least ____________________ to wash your hands properly.
asepsis
The absence of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms is called _________________.
medical
__________________ reduce
asepsis, or clean technique, includes procedures used to ______________
the number or organisms present and prevent the transfer of organisms.
surgical
__________________ asepsis, or sterile technique, prevents contamination of an open wound,
serves to isolate the operative area from the unsterile environment, and maintains a
sterile field
_____________________________ for surgery.
antisepsis
__________________ prevent
refers to using an antiseptic to _______________ inhibit
or _______________
growth of pathogenic organisms.
living tissue
Sanitization: use of antimicrobial agents on objects, surfaces, or _________________________
reduce
to ________________ the number of disease-causing microorganisms to nonthreatening levels.
(Ex – cleaning a table after eating)
nonliving objects
Disinfection: use of antimicrobial agents on _______________________________ to
destroy
________________ or deactivate microorganisms. (Ex – floors and walls of a hospital room are
disinfected.)
microorganisms
Sterilization: kills all _________________________ on a surface. The most common method is
autoclave
the use of an __________________, which is a machine that employs hot, pressurized
steam
________________ for cleaning purposes. The steam’s high temps kill all microorganisms and
their spores.
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To avoid exposure to potentially harmful substances, employees must strictly follow the
OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard
______________________________________________.
infectious
Bloodborne pathogens are __________________ blood
microorganisms found in human ___________
disease
that can cause _________________ in humans. A few examples: Hepatitis B & C and HIV.
For safety, healthcare workers should always proceed as if these substances are
infectious
________________.
gloves
__________________ are not always worn when giving patient care, but they must be worn when
blood
there is the possibility of being exposed to ______________ bodily fluids
and _________________________.
Several body fluids have the potential to transmit harmful pathogens:
• human blood
_________________________________
• semen and vaginal secretions
______________________________________________
• Body fluids such as cerebrospinal, synovial (joint), pleural (lung), pericardial (heart),
peritoneal (abdominal cavity) and amniotic (surrounding unborn baby) fluid.
• human tissue(such as a biopsy)
_______________________________________
infections
Isolation separates patients with certain ___________________ from other patients.
barriers
Protective gloves, gowns, masks, and face shields serve as _________________ against infection.
Healthcare facilities use two levels of isolation practices:
basic practices intended to prevent the spread of infection
• Standard precautions: __________________________________________________________
• used in addition to standard precautions and divided into 3 categories.
Transmission-based precautions: _________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Transmission-based precautions are designed for patients with highly transmissible infections.
3 types of precautions:
• airborne
_________________ precautions: protect against small airborne droplets or dust particles
containing microorganisms
droplet
• _________________ precautions: protect against large droplet transmission, as in
coughing or sneezing
• contact
_________________ precautions: protect against the spread of microorganisms through
direct or indirect contact
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OSHA requires that all workers be provided with appropriate
personal protective equipment
________________________________________ (PPE).
injuries
PPE protects workers from serious workplace _________________ or illnesses resulting from
hazards
contact with various __________________. This equipment can include face shields, safety
goggles
glasses, _________________, gowns, ______________,
gloves and face masks.
