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What you will learn
in this session
1. The importance and general principles of infection
prevention and control
2. The nature of Healthcare Associated Infection (HCAI)
3. Factors that may increase susceptibility to infection
4. Individual responsibility to infection prevention & control
5. Where to find information, including legislation, national
guidance and local policies
6. The role of hand hygiene in preventing transmission of
infection
7. Local infrastructure, initiatives and reporting procedures
Why is this important?
 Compliance with Health and Social Care Act (2008)
 Local procedures and guidance
 Additional information could include:
 At least 300,000 Healthcare Associated Infections
 5,000 patients die as a direct result of HCAI and it
is one of the factors in another 15,000 deaths.
 Patients with a HCAI are approx. 7 times more
likely to die in hospital than uninfected patients
 Costs the NHS over £1bn per year
 [include local information if possible]
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What are Healthcare
Associated Infections?
 Acquired as a result of healthcare interventions
 Develop as a direct result of contact in a healthcare
setting
 Numerous factors increase the risk of individuals
acquiring an infection
 Poor standards of infection control practice increase the
risk of occurrence
Colonisation versus infection
 Colonisation is when
micro-organisms
(germs) exist in the
body, but don’t invade
tissue or cause
detectable (clinical)
damage
 Infection is when
micro-organisms
(germs) begin to
invade the body
tissues and cause
detectable (clinical)
damage
Chain of infection
Infectious agent…
 A micro-organism with the ability to cause disease
 Bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites
 Possibility of infection related to:
 Virulence
(ability to grow and multiply)
 Invasiveness
(ability to enter tissue)
 Pathogenicity
(ability to cause disease)
The reservoir
 Where micro-organisms
reside and multiply:
 People
 Equipment
 Animals
 Water
 Food
 Soil
Site of exit
 The place of exit providing a
way for a micro-organism to
leave the body
 Examples include:
 Any orifice
 Break in skin
 Via any bodily substance
Transmission
Direct contact
Human-to-human contact
Indirect contact
No human-to-human contact
Site of entry…
 Inhalation
 Ingestion
 Sexual contact
 Breaks in the skin
Susceptible host
 Some people are more
susceptible due to:
 Low immunity
 Poor physical resistance
 Being very young or old
 Being malnourished
 Underlying disease
Standard precautions
 Hand hygiene
 Use of Personal
Protective Equipment
(PPE)
 Safe use and disposal
of sharps
 Management of
sharps injuries
 Safe disposal of
clinical waste
 Safe management of
laundry
 Cleaning and
decontamination of
re-usable equipment
 Maintenance of a clean
clinical environment
 Safe management of
body fluid spillages
 Respiratory hygiene
Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE)
 Gloves
 Aprons/gowns
 Masks
 Protective eyewear
 PPE is designed to protect healthcare workers
from exposure to potentially infectious material
Decontamination
 Management of body fluid spillage
 Appropriate cleaning of equipment
 Use of appropriate cleaning/disinfection
products
 Special precautions in high risk area
and with high risk patients
Laundry
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Clinical waste management
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Sharps management
 Ensure correct assembly of sharps
container
 Dispose of sharps in
approved container
at the point of use
 Don’t exceed the fill limit
 Correct disposal of container when
required
Management of
inoculation injuries
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Hand decontamination...
 One of the most effective measures
in the prevention of transmission
of infection
 Washing
 Hand sanitiser
The five moments
Barriers to effective
hand hygiene
 Jewellery (esp. rings with stones)
 Nail varnish and false nails
 Wrist bands
 Wrist watches
 Long sleeves
Hand hygiene technique
“This sink is for
hand washing only”
Wet hands
thoroughly with
warm water and
apply liquid soap
Palm to palm
Right palm over left dorsum and
left palm over right dorsum
Palm to palm
fingers interlaced
Remember to include
wrists, remove all soap, dry
hands thoroughly with
paper towels and use
moisturiser at least three
times a day.
Backs of fingers to opposing
palms with fingers interlocked
Rotational rubbing of
right thumb clasped in
left palm and vice versa
Rotational rubbing,
backwards and forwards
with clasped fingers of right
hand in left palm and vice
versa
Alcohol hand gel should be
applied in the same way
briskly to increase
evaporation
Appropriate products
 Liquid soap
 Sanitiser
 Moisturiser
Bare below the elbows
Further information
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Examples:
www.dh.gov.uk
www.npsa.nhs.uk
www.hpa.org.uk
www.rcn.org.uk
www.clean-safe-care.nhs.uk
Summary
 Healthcare Associated Infections are often preventable
 All staff have a responsibility to follow infection control
procedures all of the time wherever they work in the
healthcare economy
 Follow appropriate guidelines/policies and safe systems
of care
THANK YOU
Any Questions?
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