NURSING PROCESS IN INFECTION

PREVENTION AND CONTROL.

 DEFINTION OF INFECTION
Infections refer to the invasion and multiplication of disease-
causing microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or
parasites, within a host organism. When these
microorganisms enter the body, they can disrupt normal
bodily functions and cause various signs and symptoms of
illness.
Infections can occur in different parts of the body, targeting
specific organs or systems, or they can be systemic, affecting
the entire body. Common types of infections include
respiratory infections (such as the common cold or
pneumonia), urinary tract infections, skin infections,
gastrointestinal infections, sexually transmitted infections,
and bloodstream infections. The transmission of infections
can occur through various routes, including direct contact
with infected individuals, inhalation of respiratory droplets,
consumption of contaminated food or water, contact with
contaminated surfaces or objects, or through the bites of
infected insects or animals.
WHAT ARE INFECTIOUS DISEASE?
Infectious diseases are illnesses caused by pathogenic
microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or
parasites. These diseases can be transmitted from one
person to another, or from animals to humans.
Infectious diseases can range from mild to severe, and
they can affect various parts of the body, including
respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary, and nervous
systems, as well as the skin.
Bacterial cell
Virus under a microscope
 Fungi under microscope
Moulds under a microscope fungi under microscope living fungi with light sheet
 Protozoa under a microscope
Microscopy protoans phylum protozoa Amoeba
 EXAMPLES OF COMMON INFECTIOUS
DISEASES
1. Influenza (A respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus)
2. Tuberculosis (A bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that
primarily affects the lungs, but can also affect other organs
3. HIV/AIDS: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/ Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome (AIDS)
4. Hepatitis (Inflammation of the liver caused by various viruses, such as
Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E.
5. COVID-19 (A respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2,
which emerged in late 2019
 Mode of Transmission
Since microorganisms cannot travel on their own; they require a vehicle to carry them
to other people and places
Infectious diseases and even certain contagious diseases spread through the following
agencies. Their ways of spreading are also given along with these agencies.
1.Airborne transmission
2.Contact transmission – direct and indirect
3.Vehicle transmission ( water, milk, food, etc)
4.Vector–transmission
5.Trans placental transmission
 INFECTION PREVENTION:

Here are some key strategies for infection prevention

1. Hand Hygiene
2. Vaccination
3. Respiratory Hygiene and Cough Etiquette
4. Safe Food Handling
5. Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection
6. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
7. Safe Injection Practices
8. Infection Control in Healthcare Settings
9. Education and Awareness
10. Surveillance and Outbreak Response
11. Isolation Precautions
12. Infection Prevention in Outbreaks and Pandemics
 Mode of Transmission
Portal of Entry: a path for the microorganism to get into a new host, similar to the portal of exit
Susceptible Host: a person is susceptible to the microorganism

WHO IS AT RISK OF INFECTION?

Staff: service providers are at significant risk for infection because they are exposed to
potentially infectious blood and other body fluids on daily basis.

Clients / Patients: they are at risk of post-procedural infection. E.g. when a nurse does not
wash hands between client and the procedure, adequately patients are not prepared for a
procedure with instruments.
How to break the chain of infection:
1. Rapid and accurate identification of organism:
 routinely send blood cultures, urine cultures, skin swabs, throat swabs, and tracheal aspirate
cultures to easily identify the microorganism involved
 send endotracheal tube tip, urinary catheter tip and central line tip for culture after removal

2. Control or elimination of infectious agents including:

 Proper cleaning with soap and water and mechanical action with or without detergents
 Disinfection
 Sterilization of contaminated objects
Infection control refers to the practices and measures
implemented to prevent and minimize the spread of infections
within healthcare settings and other environments.

1.Standard Precautions: Standard precautions are the foundation of

infection control and should be applied to all patients in all
healthcare settings. These precautions include hand hygiene, the
use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when necessary (such
as gloves, masks, gowns, and eye protection)
Standard precaution or personal
protective equipment (PPE)
 Fundamental principles
Pathogens fall into two broad categories, blood-borne (carried in the body
fluids) and airborne
Standard precaution contains the following things;
1. Hand washing
2. Gloving
3. Gowning
4. Mask/protective eyewear/ cap
5. Shoe cover
Hand washing
 Hand washing or hand hygiene is the act of cleaning one’s hands with the
use of water or another liquid, or with the use of soap for the purpose of
removing soil, dirt, and / or microorganisms.
Hand washing (medical asepsis)
1. Purpose
2. To prevent the spread of infection
3. To increase psychological comfort
4. Equipment
5. Soap for routine hand washing
6. Orangewood stick for cleaning nails, if available
7. Running warm water, paper towel, trash basket
2. Transmission-Based Precautions:
These precautions are designed to prevent the transmission of specific pathogens
and include airborne precautions, droplet precautions, and contact precautions.
 Airborne precautions are used for diseases that can spread through small droplet
nuclei that remain suspended in the air for long periods. Special respiratory
protection
 Droplet precautions are used for diseases that spread through larger respiratory
droplets produced when an infected person talks, coughs, or sneezes
 Contact precautions are used for diseases that can be transmitted through direct
or indirect contact with the patient or their environment
 Masks
1. When mask is correctly applied, it will fit snugly and securely over the
nose and mouth

2. To protect staff from inhalation of infectious aerosols or droplets smoke or

plume or other airborne hazards.

3. To prevent the spread of micro-organisms from the nasopharynx of staff of

the patient to others who are susceptible.
 Types of masks
 Surgical marks: used in wards, departments, or operating theatres.
N95 Particulate Mask: used when caring for patients with
diagnosed or suspected airborne infectious diseases. It also protects
against particulate matter such as dust,fumes,mists,aerosols and smoke
particles.
 PUTTING ON GLOVES.
 Wearing gloves reduces contamination of hands and minimizes the risk that a
healthcare worker will become infected after contact with a patient’s blood or body
substance.

 It is available and accessible in a range of sizes in all patient care areas

 It reduces the likelihood that staff will transmit micro-organisms from their hands to
patients
 TYPE OF GLOVES
Non-sterile gloves

Sterile
 Eye / face protection
 Eye/ face protection shall be worn in any situation when splash or splatter with
blood or body substance to the mucous membrane of the mouth, nose and or
eyes in likely to be involved.
Super protective anti-fog
transparent shield reusable safety shield
 Types of protective clothing
 Plastic aprons: in general, disposable plastic aprons are sufficient to
provide protection from contamination

 Fluid Resistant Gown: long-sleeved, disposable fluid-resistant gowns

should be used for contact isolation or where there is an elevated risk of
contamination. E.g. Ebola, Covid-19, etc.
Fluid-resistant gown disposable gown isolation gown
(Personal Protective Equipment –PPE’s

Equipment for PPEs

- Disposable gloves
- Gown
- Mask
- Apron
- Cap
- Protective eye wear (goggles)
Protective shoes
Procedure
1. Wash hands using soap and dry.
2. Put on gown by placing one arm at a time though sleeves wrap gown
around body so it cover clothing completely.
3. Bring waist ties from back to front of gown or turn back according to hospital
policy. This ensures that entire clothing is covered by the gown, preventing
accidental contamination.
4. Tie gown at the neck or adhere velcro strap to gown
5. Don mask. Rationale: Masks are worn when there is an anticipated contact
with respiratory droplet secretiveness.
6. Don protective eye wear such as face shield. Face shields will protect the
nurse from splashing of blood or body fluids while caring for clients.
7. Done disposable gloves.
 Managing injuries and exposure in health
care personal
 In health care settings, injuries from needles or other sharp instruments are
the number of one of the causes of occupational exposure to blood born
infections.

 Sharps: refers to any sharp instruments or object used in the delivery of

health care services, including hypodermic needles, suture needles scalpel
blades, iv catheters and razor blades.
 Prevention of injuries from sharps
 Do not bend, break, or cut hypodermic needle before disposal
 Do not recap the needles
 Disposal of hypodermic needles and other sharps properly (into the safety box)
 Use the ‘’handles-free’’ techniques when passing sharps during clinical
procedures
 The assistant places the instrument in a sterile kidney basin or designated ‘’safe
zone’’ in a sterile field
 Dispose of needles and syringes immediately after use in a puncture-resistant
sharps disposal container.
 How to manage injuries and exposure to
injuries.
 Studies have shown that cleaning a wound with an antiseptic or squeezing
it does not reduce the risk of infection. If you are accidentally exposed to
blood or other body fluids, you need to

 wash the needle stick injury site or cut with soap and under running water

Flush splashes to the nose, mouth, or skin with water

 irrigate splashes to the eyes with water or saline

Guidelines
Patient who contaminates the environment should be placed in a private room

 The environment is a potential source of infections. Decontamination of the environment

and equipment is an essential infection control practice in every setting. This fundamentally
consists of disinfection, sterilization, and handling of medical wastes.

Used linen soiled with blood, body fluids, secretions, and excretions should be handled in a
manner that prevents skin and mucous membrane exposure.


STEAM STERILIZATION
 TYPES OF ISOLATION

Bsically, there two primary types of isolation systems were used in

Health care:
1 disease- specific isolation
2. Category -specific isolation

These isolation classifications are mostly replaced by standard precaution and

transmission based precaution.
, still some facilities( hospitals, clinics and nursing homes) follow such system
specific categories of isolation (eg. Respiratory, contact, enteric, strict or wound) are
identified, using color-coded cards. This form of isolation is based on the client’s diagnosis.
The cards are posted outside the client’s room and state that visitors must check with nurses
before entering.

Disease–specific isolation, Eg Covid, ebola, TB etc, uses a single all-purpose sign.

Nurse selects the items on the card that are appropriate for the specific disease that is
causing isolation.
Preparing for Isolation
Purpose
To prevent the spread of microorganisms
To control infectious diseases
Equipment
Specific equipment depends on isolation precaution system used.
- Soap and running water.
- Isolation cart containing masks, gowns, gloves, plastic bags isolation tape.
- Linen hamper and trash can, when needed.
- Paper towel
Door card indicating precautions
Procedure
1. Check orders for isolation
2. Obtain an isolation cart from the central supply, if needed.
3. Check that all necessary equipment to carry out the isolation order is available.
4. Place isolation card on the client’s door.
5. Ensure that linen hamper and trash cans are available, if
needed.
Removing Items from Isolation Room
Equipment
- Large red isolation bags
- Specimen container
- Plastic bag with biohazard level
- Laundry bag
- Red plastic container in room
Cleaning articles
Procedure
1. Place laboratory specimen in plastic bag. Affix biohazard label to plastic bag.
2. Dispose of all sharps in appropriate red plastic container in room.
3. Place all linen in linen bag
4. Place reusable equipment such as procedure trays in plastic bags.
5. Dispose of all garbage in plastic bags
6. Double bag all material from isolation room. Follow procedure for utilizing double-bagging
for isolation.
All materials removed from an isolation room is potentially contaminate. This will prevent
spread of micro organisms.
7. Replace all bags, such as linen bag and garbage, in appropriate container in room.
8. Make client’s room clean as necessary, using germicidal solution.
9. Leave the client’s room
3.Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection: Proper cleaning and
disinfection of surfaces and equipment are essential in reducing
the risk of infection transmission.
THANK YOU…..
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