BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING:

MICP 211 MICROPARASITOLOGY

COURSE MODULE COURSE UNIT WEEK

3 1 - PRELIM PERIOD 3

MEDICAL AND SURGICAL ASEPSIS

 Implement a study habit to read and comprehend the following prior to online class
proper: unit objectives; course module and learning videos.
 Actively search for unfamiliar medical terminologies and relate to discussions.
 Establish effective teacher- student interactions through participation in the
synchronous online class discussion. through LMS discussion board or through Online
Class chat box. Ask relevant questions.
 Answer and submit course unit tasks online if there is any.
 For additional direction read study guide prior to class proper

At the end of this unit, the students are expected to:

1. Integrate knowledge of physical, social, natural and health sciences, and humanities in linking
interaction of microorganisms with humans and diseases
2. Introduce how a safe, appropriate and holistic care is provided utilizing the concept learned in
microbiology.
3. Introduce microbiology guidelines and principles of evidence - based practice when caring.
4. Communicate effectively in speaking, writing and online using medical microbiology
terminologies.
5. Desire to develop new learning in the course as an Introduction to a safe, appropriate care to
individuals and communities utilizing developments in the field of microbiology.

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6. Engage in lifelong learning such as conscientiousness, diligent, responsibility, respect,
principled, law-abiding.
7. Introduce research in the study of microbiology.
8. Discuss and explain the difference between medical and surgical asepsis.
9. Discuss and identify standard precautions, explaining their rationale.
10. Identify principles of surgical asepsis.

This module was adapted from Bartolome and Quiles. (2020)

Microbiology and Parasitology: A Textbook and Laboratory
Manual for the Health Sciences. 2nd Edition. C&E Publishing
House. Quezon City. QR65. B37 2020

Chapter 6: Medical and Surgical Asepsis (page 61)

M
EDICAL AND SURGICAL ASEPSIS

 Sepsis is a clinical condition where infectious agents are spread throughout the individual's body
from a localized site of infection and manifest with symptoms of organ damage.
 Asepsis refers to a condition in which the individual and his surrounding environment are free of any
microorganisms.
 The goals of asepsis are to protect the patient from nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections
and to keep pathogenic microorganisms from spreading.
 There are two forms of asepsis: medical asepsis and surgical asepsis.

 MEDICAL ASEPSIS  SURGICAL ASEPSIS

The reduction of disease-causing agents The complete eradication of

and their spread disease-causing agents and their
spores from an object.
Clean technique Sterile technique

 Infection is the growth of microorganisms in the body. An infectious disease is a

disease in which pathogens invade a susceptible host and carry out at least part
of their life cycle in that host.

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  Infection Process. The cycle of infection is a chain with six links. To produce
disease, each link in the infectious process must be present in a logical sequence.
Removing one link in the chain will stop the infection cycle. The six links are as
follows:

CHAIN OF INFECTION The cycle must be interrupted to prevent

the spread of a microorganism.
What is an agent of infection?

- An infectious agent or etiological agent is a living

organism that causes an infectious disease.
- If the microorganism causes disease in humans, it
is called a pathogen.

What is a Reservoir?

– A reservoir is any natural habitat of a microorganism

that promotes growth and reproduction.
– Examples of reservoirs are soiled or wet dressings,
hospital equipment, and carriers (person or animal
who harbors and spreads an organism).
– Food and proper atmosphere are required to thrive.

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 What is Exit Route?

– A microorganism cannot cause disease in another host

unless it finds a point of escape from the reservoir.
– Human exit routes are gastrointestinal, respiratory,
and genitourinary systems; tissue; and blood.
– Handwashing can prevent the spread of
microorganisms or cross-contamination

What is Mode of Transmission?

- It is the process by which a pathogen spreads from one

host to another.
- Infections are transmitted through Direct Transmission
(directly from an infected person) and Indirect
Transmission (not transmitted directly)

What is Entry of Microorganisms?

– The microorganism must find a way to enter the

susceptible host.
– When the host’s defense mechanisms are reduced,
the microorganism has a greater chance to enter.
– The skin is the first line of defense and should
be kept intact, lubricated, and clean.

What is susceptible host?

– An microorganism must accept the host for it to

continue to live and flourish
– An infection will develop as the strength
and numbers of the microorganism grow
within the host.
– Immunizations have proved effective in
providing additional protection against infectious disease.
Aseptic Techniques are techniques used to minimize contamination. In the hospital facility, a break in
infection’s chain of transmission is possible by encouraging the nurse to use aseptic technique.
General Aseptic Procedure are as follows:
 Frequent hand washing by hospital personnel. Hand washing is known as the most basic and universally
accepted measure used to prevent the spread of infection.
 Use of Personal Protective Equipment. PPE are specialized equipment and attire used in healthcare
facilities to protect the health worker and the patient and his visitors against infection. These include
masks, gowns, googles and others. Gloves – offer protection when handling body secretions or open
wounds while Gowns & Face Mask serve as barriers to spread of potentially pathogenic microorganisms.
 Fingernails should be kept clean and short
 Health education – is the best way to prevent the spread of communicable dse

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Control of Healthcare-Associated Infections
 A healthcare-associated infection (HAI) is an illness that develops during a patient's stay in a health-care
facility but was not present when they were admitted (Tortora, 2019)

Control of Healthcare-Associated Infections are as follows:

Universal precautions - In health care & residential settings, universal precautions are used
to minimize spread of microbes to protect patients/ residents, staff, & visitors from contact
with pathogens. 2 general categories: standard & transmission-based precautions.
Standard precautions are fundamental, minimum measures that are applied to every person, every time,
to avoid pathogen transmission from one person to another for all levels of health care,
regardless of whether a patient's infection status is confirmed, suspected, or unknown.
- Standard precautions are hand hygiene, use of PPE, respiratory hygiene & cough etiquette,
disinfection of patient-care equipment/instruments, environmental cleaning/ disinfection,
safe injection practices, patient placement, safe resuscitation and lumbar puncture
Transmission-based precautions are procedures to component standard
precautions in individuals with known or suspected infections that are highly
transmissible or epidemiologically important pathogens.
- Utilized when standard precautions do not completely interrupt the transmission
route. Three categories of transmission-based precautions: contact, droplet, and airborne.
Contact precautions. Used for patients that have infections that can be
spread by contact with the patients’ feces, urine or other body fluids, skin, vomit, or
wounds or by equipment or environmental surfaces contaminated by the patient.
Droplet precautions. For patients with infections that can be spread through close
contact with droplet nuclei from respiratory secretions that spread only short distances.
Airborne precautions. Used for patients with infection that can spread by droplet nuclei
over long distances.

Application: What type of transmission-based precaution should be instituted to the ff:

(Make an advance search)

1. Chickenpox 5. Measles 9. Shigella Choices:

2. Clostridium difficile 6. Meningitis 10. The common cold A. Contact Precautions
3. COVID-19 7. Pneumonia 11. Tuberculosis B. Droplet Precautions
4. Influenza 8. Salmonella 12. Whooping cough C.Airborne Precautions

 Surgical asepsis is the absence of all microorganisms within any type of invasive procedure.
 Sterile technique is a set of specific practices and procedures performed to make equipment and areas
free from all microorganisms and to maintain that sterility

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  Sterile technique is most commonly practised in operating rooms, labour and delivery rooms, and special
procedures or diagnostic areas.
 Likewise, it is used when performing sterile procedure at the bedside, such as inserting devices into
sterile areas of the body or cavities (e.g., insertion of chest tube, central venous line, or indwelling
urinary catheter).
 In health care, sterile technique is used when skin integrity is accessed, impaired, or broken such as in
patient with burns or during surgical incisions.
 A Sterile technique includes use of sterile equipment, a sterile gown and gloves as cited in Perry et al.,
2014.

Here are the Principles of Surgical Asepsis.

 All objects used in a sterile field must be sterile.
 A sterile object becomes non-sterile when touched by a non-sterile object.
 Items below the waist level, or items held below waist level, are considered to be non-sterile.
 Sterile fields must always be kept in sight.
 When opening sterile equipment and adding supplies to a sterile field, take care to avoid contamination.
 Any puncture, moisture, or tear that passes through a sterile barrier must be considered contaminated.
 Once a sterile field is set up, the border of one inch at the edge of the sterile drape is considered non-
sterile.
 If there is any doubt about the sterility of an object, it is considered non-sterile.
 Sterile persons or sterile objects may only contact sterile areas; non-sterile persons or items contact only
non-sterile areas.
 Movement around & in the sterile field must not compromise or contaminate the sterile field. (ORNAC,
2011)

Let us ascertain your understanding.

No. Questions Choices

1. free of living microorganisms Clean Technique
Sterile Technique
2. Medical asepsis Clean Technique
Sterile Technique
3. reduces the number and transmission of disease-causing Clean Technique
microorganisms Sterile Technique
4. Sterile technique involve the use of regular gloves, and maintain True
sterile objects below the waist False
5. keep all surfaces of sterile field dry True
False
6. Do not turn your back on the sterile field and True
False
7. When the is a possibility of transmission by direct bodily contact Contact Precaution
with an uninfected person and infected person, use the: Airborne Precaution
Droplet Precaution

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ISOLATION is the process of separating an individual with an infectious disease from rest of healthy
population to prevent spread of infection to other individual.
 For patients on Airborne Precautions, single rooms are always indicated and preferred for
patients requiring Contact or Droplet Precautions. Patients who may contaminate the hospital
environment . Essential to keep proper environmental control.
 Airborne Infection Isolation Rooms (AIIR) is a single-patient room that is equipped with special
air handling and ventilation systems under negative pressure.
 Prevent room air from entering hospital corridor when door is opened;
 to remove pathogens, air that is evacuated from such rooms passes through high-efficiency
particulate air (HEPA) filters .
 Also, Standard and Airborne Precautions are strictly enforced.

PREVENTING INFECTION IN THE COMMUNITY

 To prevent the spread of infection at the community level, proper health education on the
sources of infection as well as transmission of infection in important.
 Sanitation techniques such as-water purification, proper garbage disposal, proper sewage
disposal and other measures to a clean environment
 improvement of health practices : educating people on proper handling, storage & preparation
of food
 Vaccination

Based on your experience or observations, what Home Care

techniques have you found to be effective for COVID-19 patients and
those who have been exposed?

Flex it in our CANVAS discussion board or in the chat

box.

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 SUPPLEMENTAL LECTURES IN VIDEO FORMAT (FOR VISUAL LEARNERS):

Video Title
Video Link

Standard & Isolation Precautions

Nursing | Infection Control Contact, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLq6B3Qjy98
Droplet, Airborne PPE NCLEX

Study Nursing: Asepsis (Immune https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJVE7WqMFtw

Module) Kozier and Erb's Fundamentals
of Nursing Chapter 31

Aseptic Technique https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDngeM2NzPA

NCLEX Review on Safety and Infection https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehf7SnEmKKo&t=33

Control 1s

Congratulations! You're nearly finished with this module. You are doing really well.

This week's key terms are listed below. Make a conscious effort to find out what it mean.
Antiseptic
Carrier
Contamination
Infection Prevention And Control
Negative Pressure
Non-Sterile Object
Sewage Disposal
Single-Patient Room
Sterile Field
Vaccination
Vehicle
Ventilation
Water Purification

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POINTS TO PONDER:

1. What exactly is the role of an infection control nurse?

2. What Is the Difference Between Normal Flora and Transient Flora?
3. Handwashing is vital for healthcare workers. What are the three most common
infections in hospitals that are possibly transmitted through the hands of health
workers?
4. Health workers need to protect themselves. Which procedures are considered
aerosol generating procedures in healthcare settings?

Bartolome and Quiles. (2020) Microbiology and Parasitology: A Textbook and

Laboratory Manual for the Health Sciences. 2nd Edition. C&E Publishing House. Quezon City.
QR65. B37 2020
Engelkirk, Paul G. (2019). Burton's Microbiology for the health sciences, 8th ed. .
Philadelphia : LWW.616.01 E3 2007
Tortora, G.J. (2014) Microbiology. Pearson: Singapore. 616.9041 T63 2014
https://opentextbc.ca/clinicalskills/chapter/surgical-asepsis/ Accessed Jan 30, 2022.
www.Youtube.com

Useful website:
https://www.napavalley.edu/people/pcarroll/Documents/Infection%20control%20ASEPSIS.pdf
http://nursing411.org/Courses/MD0540_Sterile_Procedures/1-08_Sterile_Procedures.html
https://spice.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Module-F-HHH-2014.pdf
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