Infection Control Procedures Flashcards

A caregiver is preparing to assist a client with personal care that involves potential contact with bodily fluids. What is the correct sequence for donning (putting on) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?

Answer: Perform hand hygiene, gown, mask, eye protection, then gloves.

The correct order for donning PPE is critical to prevent self-contamination. It proceeds from the items that cover the largest area to those that are most likely to be contaminated, ending with gloves. The sequence is: first, perform hand hygiene; second, put on the gown; third, put on a mask or respirator; fourth, put on eye protection (goggles or face shield); and finally, put on gloves, pulling them over the cuffs of the gown.

Which of the following scenarios requires a caregiver to perform hand hygiene by washing with soap and water instead of using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer?

Answer: When hands are visibly soiled with blood or other body fluids.

While alcohol-based hand sanitizer is effective in many situations, soap and water are required when hands are visibly dirty, soiled, or have come into contact with blood or other body fluids. The mechanical action of washing with soap and water is necessary to remove the soil and contaminants, which hand sanitizer cannot do effectively. It is also preferred after using the toilet and when dealing with potential spore-forming organisms like C. difficile.

To break the chain of infection, a caregiver's practice of cleaning and disinfecting a client's bedside table is an intervention aimed at which link in the chain?

Answer: Reservoir

The 'Reservoir' is the place where an infectious agent (like bacteria or a virus) lives, grows, and multiplies. This can include people, animals, or the environment, such as a contaminated surface like a bedside table. By cleaning and disinfecting the table, the caregiver eliminates or reduces the number of pathogens, thereby removing their source or reservoir.

A caregiver is assigned to a client on 'Contact Precautions' due to a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. Which of the following PPE items are minimally required before entering the client's room?

Answer: A gown and gloves

Contact precautions are used for infections spread by direct or indirect contact. The minimum required PPE for contact precautions includes a gown and gloves to prevent the transmission of the infectious agent from the patient or their environment to the caregiver.

What is the primary difference between disinfecting and sterilizing medical equipment in a home care setting?

Answer: Disinfection kills most harmful microorganisms, while sterilization kills all microorganisms, including spores.

Disinfection is a process that eliminates most harmful microorganisms from surfaces but does not typically kill bacterial spores. Sterilization, a more thorough process, eliminates all forms of microbial life, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and resilient spores. While some disinfectants are used in home care, true sterilization is less common and typically reserved for medical facilities.

According to Standard Precautions, when must a caregiver wear gloves?

Answer: Whenever anticipating contact with blood, body fluids, or non-intact skin.

Standard Precautions are based on the principle that all blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions (except sweat), non-intact skin, and mucous membranes may contain transmissible infectious agents. Therefore, gloves must be worn whenever there is a reasonable anticipation of contact with these substances, regardless of whether the client has a confirmed infection.