Infection Prevention and Control Policies and Procedures - Desklib

HLTINF001
Comply with infection prevention and control policies and procedures
HLTINF001 Comply with infection prevention and control
policies and procedures
Name
Email address
Assessment
2. Assignment
Assignments may include short answer questions or longer answer questions and are designed to
test how you apply your knowledge into a real-world situation. All assignments are completed as
a Microsoft Word document and are submitted to an assessor through My eCampus. Your
assessor is looking for how you apply your knowledge and how you think critically about the topic
area.
This assignment is designed to give you greater understanding of the purpose of infection control
in the healthcare workplace. To gain a greater understanding you will be required to use the
information from your workbook as well as other sources. Specifically the National Health and
Medical Research Council, Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in
Healthcare. This can be found at http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines-publications/cd33.
These guidelines are available as a PDF.
Download the PDF and this will help with your
assessment tasks below.
This document contains information that
applies to all healthcare premises regardless
of the size of the facility. You will not be
required to read or understand the entire
document, but there are certain parts of the
guidelines that you will need to complete your
assessments.

HLTINF001
Comply with infection prevention and control policies and procedures
Task 1
On page 21 of the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare
there is a table of standard precautions that are to be used by healthcare workers to reduce the
likelihood of infection.
Within that table, the following precautions are listed:
• Hand Hygiene
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Handling and Disposal of Sharps
• Environmental Controls
• Reprocessing of Re-usable equipment and instruments
• Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
• Aseptic non-touch technique
• Waste and Linen
Within the table is direction to the guidelines for each standard precaution, select one of the
standard precautions. Then go to the section relating to the standard precaution, within each
section is a topic titled “Putting it into practice”. You will need to read this topic to answer the
following question
Question 1.1
Based on the standard precaution you have chosen, name the standard precaution and describe
in your own words, how you would put this precaution into practice.
Hand hygiene is one of the most important control measures that help to avoid the
transmission of harmful germs as well as prevent the infections related to healthcare. It
involves cleansing of the hands by washing with clean water and soap or applying alcohol
based hand rub. Putting this precaution into practise when handling a patient, I will ensure
that I follow the policies of the facility regarding cuts and abrasions, cuts and jewellery. In
addition to that, I will follow the 5 moments of hand hygiene which requires that I cleanse
my hand before touching a patient, before performing any procedure, after performing a
procedure, after touching a patient and after being in contact with the environment of the
patient. Even after getting rid of the gloves, I will perform hand hygiene.

HLTINF001
Comply with infection prevention and control policies and procedures
Question 1.2
One page 22 of the guidelines is a table describing the transmission-based precautions. Chose one
of the precautions then go to the section of the guide relating to that precaution. Summarise in
your own how you would apply those precautions in a healthcare environment.
The transmission of infectious germs may sometimes happen directly when a healthcare
practitioner comes into contact with a patient or indirectly when a practitioner comes into contact
with contaminated surfaces, clothing or patient-care devices. It is therefore important that a
healthcare practitioner takes into consideration the contact precautions when in a healthcare
environment. When working in a healthcare environment, I will make sure that I isolate patients
whom I suspect or show signs of having infectious diseases1. This is to help reduce the risk of coming
into contact with them. I will also ensure that I use one equipment for one patient and clean
equipment in cases where equipment must be shared.
Task 2
On page 25 of the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare
is a case study example of how an infection risk is managed. Using this and your workbook,
describe how you could respond to an infection risk in the workplace.
Case example: A container of clinical waste is accidently drop onto the floor. The container
breaks, spilling its contents on the floor of a busy walkway. The container included sharps,
bandages with blood and other clinical waste.
Question 2.1
Describe how you would respond to this risk. Specifically, state what potential risk this case
example could cause and how you would respond? (Hint: use the guidelines for use of PPE and
cleaning)
1 Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare | NHMRC. (2010)
22. Retrieved from https://nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/australian-guidelines-prevention-
and-control-infection-healthcare-2010