Infection Control Report: Prevention in Healthcare Environments

This report from a group discussion focuses on infection control in healthcare settings. It emphasizes the importance of preventing the spread of pathogens through standard precautions, hand hygiene, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The report highlights the roles of infection control nurses in preventing outbreaks and educating others on best practices. It details standard precautions for contact, droplet, and airborne isolation, including specific guidelines for healthcare workers and visitors. The report references various sources to support the information provided, underscoring the significance of evidence-based practices in maintaining a safe healthcare environment. The document covers various aspects of infection control, from the basics of hand hygiene and PPE to the specifics of isolation protocols for different types of infections, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of infection control measures.

Introduction
we are from group
The group discussion is about Infection Control.
Raza (2010, 23-47); St John (2018, p. 255-73) stated that Infection is caused
by pathogens ('bugs') such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa or fungi getting into or onto
the body. It can take some time before the microbes multiply enough to trigger
symptoms of illness so Infection control in the workplace aims to prevent pathogens
from coming into contact with a person in the first place which helps to minimise the
risk of infection to patients, staff and visitors (Pearce, Jones, Fleischfresser, Davis, Jones
and Lieske, 2018, pp335-50) .
All nurses are trained to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, infection control
nurses specifically specialize in preventing the spread of infectious agents such as that
of viruses and bacteria (Infection control nurse, 2019). gave that With no two bacteria
alike, infection control nurses work diligently to prevent dangerous outbreaks from
occurring in a hospital setting. All medical professionals are trained to take standard
precautions that include hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, and
isolation precautions according to the patient being cared for Herzig and et.al., (2016).
Even so, such precautions do not completely eliminate the possibility for infectious
agents to spread. It is an infection control nurse's job to perform and educate others on
how to prevent and contain outbreaks and to prevent further incidents from occurring .
https://www.registerednursing.org/specialty/infection-control-nurse/
Burnett, (2018) stated that addressing infection prevention and control in
complex healthcare settings can be challenging. To enable nurses to practise safely,
act as a role model for colleagues and educate patients about infection
prevention and control, they should ensure that their knowledge and skills are up to
date and evidence based .
https://journals.rcni.com/nursing-standard/evidence-and-practice/effective-infection-
prevention-and-control-the-nurses-role-ns.2018.e11171/abs
Ogoina and et.al., (2016, p 16-22) stated Standard precautions are a set of
infection control practices used to prevent transmission of diseases that can be
acquired by contact with blood, body fluids, non-intact skin (including rashes), and
mucous membranes. These measures are to be used when providing care to all
individuals or they appear infectious or symptomatic Wilson, .
Infection Control and Prevention
 Hand Hygiene.
Hand hygiene refers to both washing with plain or anti-bacterial soap and water and to
the use of alcohol gel to decontaminate hands St John (2018, p. 255-73). Hand
hygiene should be performed before and after contact with a client, immediately after
touching blood, body fluids, after touching objects and medical equipment before
eating, after using the restroom, and after coughing or sneezing Clark., (2019, p. 14-15);
Herzig and et.al., (2016).Clark., (2019, p. 14-15); Herzig and et.al., (2016).

 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
(Olson, 2016) gave that PPE includes items such as gloves, gowns, masks, respirators,
and eyewear used to create barriers that protect skin, clothing, mucous membranes,
and the respiratory tract from infectious agents.
Wear gloves when touching blood, body fluids, non-intact skin, mucous membranes,
and contaminated items Wilcox, et.al., (2017, p. 305-317). Gloves must always be worn
during activities involving vascular access.
Wear a surgical mask and goggles or face shield if there is a reasonable chance that a
splash or spray of blood or body fluids may occur to the eyes, mouth, or nose.
Wear a gown if skin or clothing is likely to be exposed to blood or body fluids.
Remove PPE immediately after use and wash hands (Infection control and prevention.,
2019). It is important to remove PPE in the proper order to prevent contamination of
skin or clothing
https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/ic/precautions.htm
Clark., (2019, p. 14-15) viewed that Contact isolation precautions are used for
infections, diseases, or germs that are spread by touching the patient or items in the
room (examples: MRSA, VRE, diarrheal illnesses, open wounds, RSV).
Generally, when patients are placed on isolation precautions, there will be a sign at the
door of their hospital rooms to remind visitors and healthcare workers which isolation
precautions are needed Clark., (2019, p. 14-15). All healthcare workers and visitors
need to follow these guidelines. Healthcare workers should not eat or drink in
isolation rooms and should always clean their hands before entering the room and
upon exiting the room Raza (2010, 23-47).
Healthcare workers should:
 Wear a gown and gloves while in the patient’s room. Remove the gown and
gloves before leaving the room .
 Clean hands (hand washing or use hand sanitizer) when entering and leaving
the room.
 Visitors must check with the nurse before taking anything into or out of the
room.
(Olson, 2016) Droplet isolation precautions—used for diseases or germs that are
spread in tiny droplets caused by coughing and sneezing (examples: pneumonia,
influenza, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis). Healthcare workers should:
 Wear a surgical mask while in the room. Mask must be discarded in trash after
leaving the room.
 Clean hands (hand washing or use hand sanitizer) when they enter the room
and when they leave the room (Pearce, Jones, Fleischfresser, Davis, Jones and Lieske,
2018, pp335-50)
Airborne isolation precautions—used for diseases or very small germs that are
spread through the air from one person to another (examples: Tuberculosis,
measles, chickenpox) Ogoina and et.al., (2016, p 16-22). Healthcare workers should:

 St John (2018, p. 255-73) Ensure patient is placed in an appropriate
negative air pressure room (a room where the air is gently sucked
outside the building) with the door shut .
 Wear a fit-tested NIOSH-approved N-95 or higher-level respirator
while in the room Wilcox, et.al., (2017, p. 305-317). Mask must be
discarded in trash after leaving the room.
 Cinfection control in australialean hands (hand washing or use hand
sanitizer) when they enter the room and when they leave the room.
 Ensure the patient wears a surgical mask when leaving the room.
 Instruct visitors to wear a mask while in the room (Infection prevention
and you, 2019)
http://professionals.site.apic.org/protect-your-patients/follow-the-rules-for-
isolation-precautions/

References
Books and Journals
Clark, R. M., 2019. New Guidance on Infection Prevention in the Anesthesia Work
Area. ASA Newsletter, 83(3), pp.14-15. pp. 14-15 83
Herzig, C.T., Stone, P.W., Castle, N., Pogorzelska-Maziarz, M., Larson, E.L. and Dick,
A.W., 2016. Infection prevention and control programs in US nursing homes: results
of a national survey. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 17(1),
pp.85-88.
Ogoina, D., Pondei, K., Adetunji, B., Chima, G., Isichei, C. and Gidado, S., 2015.
Knowledge, attitude and practice of standard precautions of infection control by
hospital workers in two tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. Journal of infection
prevention, 16(1), pp.16-22. Ogoina and et.al., (2016, p 16-22)
Olson, C.K., 2016. Preventing transmission of Zika virus in labor and delivery settings
through implementation of standard precautions—United States, 2016. MMWR.
Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 65. (Olson, 2016)
Raza, S. 2010, 'A conflict analysis methodology for formulating security policy and
strategy', Security and Defense Studies Review, vol. 10, Spring-Summer, pp. 23-47.
St John, N. 2018, 'Australian communication design history: an indigenous retelling', Journal
of Design History, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 255-73.
Wilcox, M.H., Gerding, D.N., Poxton, I.R., Kelly, C., Nathan, R., Birch, T., Cornely, O.A.,
Rahav, G., Bouza, E., Lee, C. and Jenkin, G., 2017. Bezlotoxumab for prevention of
recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. New England Journal of Medicine, 376(4),
pp.305-317. Wilcox, et.al., (2017, p. 305-317)
Wilson, R.S., Pearce, T., Jones, K., Fleischfresser, S., Davis, B., Jones, G. & Lieske, S. 2018,
'Indigenous land management in peri-urban landscapes: an Australian
example', Society & Natural Resources, vol. 21, no. 10, pp. 335-50.
Online
Burnett, E., 2018. Effective prevention and control. [online]. Available through:
<https://journals.rcni.com/nursing-standard/evidence-and-practice/effective-
infection-prevention-and-control-the-nurses-role-ns.2018.e11171/abs>
Infection control and prevention. 2019. {Online]. Available through:
<https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/ic/precautions.htm>.
Infection control nurse. 2019. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.registerednursing.org/specialty/infection-control-nurse/>.
Infection prevention and you. 2019. [Online]. Available through:
<http://professionals.site.apic.org/protect-your-patients/follow-the-rules-for-
isolation-precautions/>.