Infection Control in Healthcare Settings

The assignment content discusses the approach to infection control in healthcare settings. It highlights the importance of standard precautions, hand hygiene, and proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent the transmission of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The content also emphasizes the need for effective environmental cleaning and disinfection to reduce HAIs. Additionally, it touches on the two sources of infection: endogenous or self-transition, where non-harmless organisms in one site are transmitted to another; and exogenous or cross-infection, where organisms move from one source to another. The assignment also provides examples of infection prevention and control measures implemented by healthcare facilities. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of monitoring transition controls performance, applying improvements in practices, and providing training and incentives for staff participation. Overall, the content aims to highlight the importance of a comprehensive approach to infection control in healthcare settings.

Running head: Infection control 1
Infection prevention and control policies and procedures
Student Name
Institution

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Introduction
Avoidance and control of infection are important to prevent transmission of transferable
disease in all health services settings. Prevention and control of infection look for a fundamental
understanding of the study of disease transmission; Risk factors that used to increase of the
patient’s sensitivity for infection; And because of the treatment, practices and methodology and,
the infection can happen. The risk of accepting health-related infections is identified with the
mode of transmission of agents that causes infections, (for example, CRE, SSI, CDI, MRSA, and
so forth.), the procedure of patient care or process being handled and the host defences of the
patient. The workers of healthcare must be immunized with preventable illnesses like hepatitis B.
In the threat of exposure to TB, the staff must be inspected on per proposal. (Johnson, Reyes, &
Zervos, 2009)
In Long Term Care Facility (LTCF), a wide information has been published about Health
Associated Infections (HAI). In any case, the utilization of the healthcare infection control rules
to LTCF is often doubtful, remembering the difference amongst doctor's facilities and LTCF and
various resources regarding infection control. For improving the healthcare quality of patients,
ICP also known as infection control program has been implemented. Numerous authors have
talked about the component of the infection control program in LTCF. Though, there are lots of
restrictions that influence the range and type of projects that have been created. Most of the
authors trust that an ICP should include the infection’s surveillance, training of infection control,
review and formation of the procedure and policy, and public authorities are being reported about
the diseases. This program will also include the reporting of disease to public health
representative, review of the environment. Monitoring of antibiotic and review of products.
(Reed & Kemmerly, 2009)

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Regardless of setting, three basic principles of Infection Control Programs are: first is to
protect the patient, second is to protect the healthcare representatives and other peoples who are
visiting, and third is to accomplish the previous goals in cost-effective, timely and efficient
manner. To achieve these goals, every recommendation and inspiration is the motivation behind
the action of the transition control program. (Smith & Rusnak, Infection prevention and control
in the long-term-care facility, 1997)
Current policy and guidelines
An essential part of the infection control program is to create rules and to update
infection control policies and guidelines. There should be evidence based on instructions that this
is not enough for the detailed policies and procedures governing the infection control of the
hospital; It must find a way to decide if the employee or representative are adhering to the
policies and guidelines or not. Practices are not regularly corresponding to the prescribed
guidelines. It is vital that the systems planned with scholarly based projects intend to better
follow the infection control. With a specific end goal to lessen the Health-related infection and
enhance the quality of the patient's care and safety, it is important to take after the rules to have
the capacity to translate infection rate, target mediation (Nicolle, 2000). Here are some of the
current policy and guidelines for the control of infection:
1. Hand Hygiene: Washing is the main and most essential approach to stop the spread
of infection. In the decontamination, both the user of the service and the health care
specialist is protected from a microorganism, which can cause them harm. Hands may
look clean however undetectable smaller microorganism are constantly present, some
are unsafe, nothing is there. Removing of an organism is the most imperative factor in
keeping them from being transmitted to other individuals. (Mathur, 2011)

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2. Environmental Cleaning: There is a huge range of chemical disinfectants for use in
the hospital. The most ordinarily utilized disinfectant for the surface is sodium
hypochlorite and quaternary ammonium compounds. The usefulness of disinfectants
used to depend upon both the activity of antimicrobial of the disinfectant and suitable
application can rely upon both the capability of cleaning, appropriate time of contact
and disinfectant’s concentration. The motivation behind the second disinfectant
methodology is to create "self-disinfection" surface through soaked or covering
surfaces with heavy metals, for example, "germicides, silver, copper, etc." Ideally, the
disinfection methodologies are to ensure that the surfaces as well as versatile or
"orphan" gadgets, for example, computer on the wheel or blood pressure cuffs.
Representatives of clinical and environmental administrations need to face distinctive
difficulties since they are sufficiently pathogenic to get by on the biological surfaces
for long and can be transmitted to the new occupant’s room after the discharge of
infected or colonized patients even though when the terminal is being cleaned up.
Compelling techniques should be executed to survey the adequacy of ecological
cleaning and disinfection in healthcare settings to diminish the HAIs.
Approach to infection control
One of the main pillar towards the approach to infection control is Standard Precaution,
which is designed to restrict the bloodborne pathogen exposure among healthcare employees and
stops the transmission of HAIs to the patient. Use of hand hygiene, appropriate personal
protective equipment (PPE) for review of standard precautionary components, To prevent
infection in health care settings, the amortization of environment and equipment, disposal of safe
use and disposal of shells, dissection of environment and equipment, patient location, and help to

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prevent infection. Information for the approach to infection control is updated to maintain the
standards up to date. (Ward, 2012)
There are two sources of infection:
Endogenous or self-transition happens when the non-harmless organisms in one site are
transmitted in the form of infection in other instances.
Exogenous or cross-infection occurs when organisms move from one source to another,
nurse, doctor and other patients, environment.
Information about ICP can be shared by Health Program. Before beginning work, all
HCWs ought to be assessed by an expert healthcare group. This appraisal ought to include:
Vaccination required for HCWs. Another thing is that healthcare representative. The part of
Health Care Officers is deliberate, and they encourage correspondence on the health and security
issues of work amongst businesses and representatives for the administration of health and
dangers in the association. (Sax, et al., 2013)
Example 1: Infection prevention and control at Sydney Hospital includes, protective
clothing, hand hygiene, proper handling of food and separation prevention and other preventive
methods.
Example 2: One of the common examples is while surgery doctors and his/her assistant
use to wear proper hand gloves, as hand hygiene is important, proper clothes.
Monitor transition controls performance and applies improvements in practices.
To identify their cause according to the organization policy and procedure, it is suggested
to immediately monitor the infection control dangerous events. It will monitor the procedures for
controlling the risks of infection to ensure compliance. To maintain the infection control

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standards, it has been provided to ensure training in the necessary work processes. It consistently
audits and modifies the work procedure to guarantee a change in the progress control works out.
It gives input to the group and people on consistency issues, changes in work forms and the
outcomes of infection control. Recognize any deficiencies in work procedures and infection
control measures and guarantee that they are answering to one side or selected staff. (Smith,
Watkins, & Hewlett, Infection control through the ages, 2012)
What can be done more?
Appropriate motivations like a reward for representatives taking an interest in the
program must be given. Then again, self-instruction must be incorporated if the worker can't go
to the training program. Even though, to guarantee that self-educating has been viable, the
worker should take a posttest to assess the learning on first infection control.
Example 1: In Sydney hospital, nurses and compounders, as well as staffs, are given a
proper training on the monitoring of infection control and prevention. This is very important to
make this program or training a success and active participation is needed from each employee
of the hospital.

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Bibliography
Johnson, L., Reyes, K., & Zervos, M. J. (2009). Resources for Infection Prevention and Control
on the World Wide Web. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 48(11), 1585-1595. Retrieved 4 17,
2018, from https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/48/11/1585/347996/resources-for-
infection-prevention-and-control-on
Mathur, P. (2011). Hand hygiene: Back to the basics of infection control. Indian Journal of
Medical Research, 134(5), 611-620. Retrieved 4 17, 2018, from
https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc3249958
Nicolle, L. E. (2000). Infection control in long-term care facilities. Clinical Infectious Diseases,
31(3), 752-756. Retrieved 4 17, 2018, from
https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/31/3/752/297815/infection-control-in-long-term-
care-facilities
Reed, D., & Kemmerly, S. A. (2009). Infection control and prevention: a review of hospital-
acquired infections and the economic implications. The Ochsner journal, 9(1), 27-31.
Retrieved 4 17, 2018, from http://ochsnerjournal.org/doi/full/10.1043/1524-5012-9.1.27
Sax, H., Clack, L., Touveneau, S., Jantarada, F. d., Pittet, D., & Zingg, W. (2013).
Implementation of infection control best practice in intensive care units throughout
Europe: a mixed-method evaluation study. Implementation Science, 8(1), 24-24.
Retrieved 4 17, 2018, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1748-5908-8-24
Smith, P. W., & Rusnak, P. G. (1997). Infection prevention and control in the long-term-care
facility. American Journal of Infection Control, 25(6), 488-512. Retrieved 4 17, 2018,
from https://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0196655397900729

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Smith, P. W., Watkins, K., & Hewlett, A. L. (2012). Infection control through the ages. American
Journal of Infection Control, 40(1), 35-42. Retrieved 4 17, 2018, from
https://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0196655311001842
Ward, D. J. (2012). Attitudes towards the Infection Prevention and Control Nurse: An interview
study. Journal of Nursing Management, 20(5), 648-658. Retrieved 4 17, 2018, from
https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22823221