Quiz
• 1. What is the most effective way to
reduce the spread of microorganisms?
• 2. Why do you hold your hands lower
than your elbows when rinsing?
• 3. Why do you have to rewash your
hands if you touch the sink after
washing?
• 4. When do you wash your hands? (4)
• 1. Handwashing
• 2. prevents lather and water from running over
arms and causing contamination
• 3. touching a contaminated area re-contaminates
your hands
• 4. - before and after contact with a patient and
their belongings
- before and after eating
- after using the bathroom
- after handling any contaminated fluid or
object
•What is SEPSIS?
• Potentially life threatening whole
body infection, when the blood is
overwhelmed by bacteria
Controlling Infection -
Asepsis
(Unit 2)
Asepsis
• What is Asepsis?
– Technique used to make the environment, the
worker, and the patient as germ-free as
possible
• Why do we need Aseptic techniques?
– Health care facilities are full of sick people and we do
not want to get workers or other patients more sick
because germs were passed around
Asepsis
• Aseptic Techniques Prevent:
– Cross infection
– Re-infection
– Self-inoculation
– Passing illnesses from patient to healthcare
worker and healthcare worker to patient
Asepsis
• Aseptic Techniques Include:
– Employees being clean and neat
– Proper handling of all equipment
– Using sterile procedures when necessary
– Using proper cleaning solutions
– Proper hand washing
– Following Standard Precautions
Asepsis
• Standard Precautions
– guidlines designed to reduce the
risk of transmission of
microorganisms from recognized
and unrecognized sources in the
hospital
Asepsis
• Standard Precautions
– guidelines designed to reduce the risk of
transmission of microorganisms from
recognized and unrecognized sources in the
hospital
– established by OSHA
Asepsis
• Standard Precautions
– Mandated that all employees with a risk of
exposure to body fluids are provided training
and immunization within 10 days of hire.
– Must be
• Offered a hepatitis B vaccine (HBV) at no charge
• Trained to use the appropriate protective equipment ro
prevent exposure to body fluids
• Receive an annual update and review
Asepsis
• Standard
Precautions
– Provide protection
from contact with
blood, mucous
membranes, non-intact
skin, and all body fluids
– Body fluids:
• Blood
• Pericardial fluid
• Body fluids containing
visible blood
• Amniotic fluid
• Tissue specimens
• Cerebrospinal fluid
• Semen
• Vaginal Secretions
• Interstitial Fluid
• Pleural Fluid
Asepsis
• Standard Precautions
– Infection with HBV and HIV occur through:
• Direct injection of infected blood or a contaminated needle
that punctures the skin
• Contact of infected body fluids with mucous membranes
• Sexual contact
• Pregnancy – transmitted from infected mother to baby
Asepsis
• Controlling the Spread of Infection
– Disinfection – using the proper cleaning
solution to clean skin and equipment
– Sterilization – process of killing
microorganisms off items that are put into the
body or around an open wound with the use of
autoclaves