Asepsis
transferred to another.
•Asepsis is the absence of pathogenic
microorganisms. Aseptic technique refers to the
practices/procedures that can help reduce the
risk for infection. The two types of aseptic
technique are the medical and surgical asepsis.
The Two Types of Aseptic Technique
1. Medical Asepsis
2. Surgical Asepsis
Principles of surgical Asepsis
1. Moisture causes contamination.
2. Never assume that an object is sterile
3. Always face the sterile field
4. A sterile object remains sterile only when
touched by another sterile object
5. A sterile object or field out of the range of
vision or an object held below a person’s waist is
contaminated
6. Prevent unnecessary traffic and air currents
around the sterile field
7. The edges of a sterile field or container are
considered to be contaminated.
8. Open unused sterile articles are no longer
sterile after the procedure.
Terminologies
Infection
 An invasion of the body tissue by
microorganism and their proliferation
Asepsis
 The absence of disease- producing
microorganisms.
 Being free from infection
MEDICAL ASEPSIS
 Practices designed to reduce the number
and transfer of pathogens.
 Clean technique
SURGICAL ASEPSIS
 Practices that render and keep objects
and areas free from microorganisms.
 Sterile technique
SEPSIS
 The presence of infection
SEPTICEMIA
 Transport of an infection or the products
of infection throughout the body or by
blood.
CARRIER
 A person or an animal, who is without
signs of illness but who harbors
pathogens within his body that can be
CONTACT
 A person or an animal known or believed
to have exposed to a disease.
RESERVOIR
 The natural habitat for the growth and
multiplication of microorganisms
TRANSIENT FLORA OR BACTERIA
 The microorganism picked up by the skin
as a result of normal activities that can
be removed readily.
RESIDENT FLORA OR BACTERIA
 The microorganism that normally live on
a person’s skin.
STERIZATION
 The process by which all microorganisms
including their spores are destroyed.
DISINFECTANT
 A substance, usually intended for use on
inanimate objects that destroys
pathogens but generally not the spores.
ex. surgical instruments, thermometer.
ANTISEPTIC
 A substance, usually intended for use on
persons that inhibit the growth of
pathogens but not necessarily destroy
them. ex. substance used for surgical
wounds.
BACTERICIDAL
 a chemical that kills microorganisms
BACTERIOSTATIC
 An agent that prevents bacterial
multiplication but does not kill all forms
of organisms.
CONTAMINATION
 The process by which something is
rendered unclean or unsterile.
DISINFECTION
 The process by which pathogens but not
their spores are destroyed from
inanimate objects.
COMMUNICABLE DISEASE
 Results if the infectious agent can be
transmitted to an individual by direct or
indirect contact through a vector or
vehicle, or as an airborne infection.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
 Results from the invasion and
multiplication of microorganisms in a
host.
PATHOGENTS
  A disease producing microorganisms.
PATHOGENECITY
 The ability to produce a disease.
VIRULENCE
 The vigor with which the organism can
grow and multiply.
SPECIFICITY
 The organisms attraction to a specific
host, which may include humans.
OPPORTUNISTIC PATHOGEN
 Causes disease only in susceptible
individual.
BREAKING THE CHAIN OF
NASOCOMIAL INFECTION INFECTION: ASEPTIC PRACTICES
 Hospital- acquired infection.
ISOLATION WHY WASH YOUR HANDS?
 The separation of persons with  Hand washing is the single most effective
communicable diseases from other way to prevent the spread of
persons so that either direct/indirect communicable diseases.
transmission to susceptible persons is
prevented. Hand Transmission
ISOLATION TECHNIQUES  Hands are the most common vehicle to
 Practices designed to prevent the transmit health care associated
transfer of specific microorganisms. pathogens.
ETIOLOGY  Transmission of health care associated
 The study of cases pathogens from one patient to another
via health care workers hands requires 5
STAGES OF INFECTIOUS PROCESS sequential steps
 Incubation period
 Prodromal period 5 MOMENTS OF HAND HYGIENE
 Illness period
 Convalescent period 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene approach defines
the key moments when health-care workers
INCUBATION should perform hand hygiene.
 Time from entrance of pathogen into the
body to appearance of first symptoms; This evidence-based, field-tested, user-centered
during this time pathogens grow and approach is designed to be easy to learn, logical
multiply. and applicable in a wide range of settings.
PRODROMAL
 Time from onset of nonspecific This approach recommends health-care workers
symptoms such as fever, malaise, and to clean their hands.
fatigue to move specific symptoms.
ILLNESS 1. Before touching a patient,
 Time during which child demonstrates 2. Before clean/aseptic procedures,
signs and symptoms specific to an 3. After body fluid exposure/risk,
infection type. 4. After touching a patient, and
CONVALESCENCE 5. After touching patient surroundings.
 Time when acute symptoms of illness
disappear
Why should you clean your hands?

 Any health-care worker, caregiver or

person involved in patient care needs to
be concerned about hand hygiene.
  Therefore hand hygiene concerns you!
 You must perform hand hygiene to:
o protect the patient against
harmful germs carried on your
hands or present on his/her
own skin.
o protect yourself and the health-
care environment from harmful
germs.

SPECIFIC AREAS AND RECOMMENDED

TYPES OF HANDWASHING USE OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
MEDICAL HANDWASHING:
 Hand washing (or handwashing), also
known as hand hygiene, is the act of
cleaning hands for the purpose of
removing soil, dirt, and microorganisms.
 The main medical purpose of washing
hands is to cleanse the hands of
pathogens (like bacteria or viruses) and
chemicals which can cause harm or
disease.

SURGICAL HANDWASHING:
 Human hands are the most important
tools for caring. The purpose of surgical
hand scrub is to:
o Remove debris and transient
microorganisms from the nail’s
hands, and forearms.
 Reduce the resident microbial count to a
minimum, and. Inhibit rapid rebound
growth of microorganisms.

How to clean your hands

 Handrubbing with alcohol-based
handrub is the preferred routine method
of hand hygiene if hands are not visibly
soiled.
 Handwashing with soap and water - TYPES OF PRECAUTIONS
essential - when hands are visibly dirty or The precautions listed below are considered
visibly soiled (following visible exposure transmission-based precautions, which means
to body fluids) specific equipment is needed based on the germ
or infection the patient has.

1. Contact precautions
Some patients are placed in contact
precautions if they have a condition that can be
contracted through touching or contact. If a
patient is in contact precautions, you need to
wear gloves and a gown.
 2. Droplet precautions
Droplet precautions are for patients who
have an illness, which could be spread through
contact with secretions from the mouth, nose,
and lungs when a patient coughs or sneezes.
Usually, the droplets can only travel about three
feet. Examples of droplet precaution illnesses
include whooping cough and influenza. If you are
treating a patient in droplet precautions you need
to wear a mask, gown, and gloves.

3. Airborne precautions
If a patient has an illness caused by a germ
that can travel through the air long distances,
they are placed in airborne precautions. Patients
should also be placed in a special room called a
negative pressure room. Negative pressure rooms
prevent the air from flowing into the hallways.
Tuberculosis and chicken pox are examples of
illnesses that would require a patient to be placed
in airborne precautions. A gown, gloves and
respirator are required if you are treating a
patient in airborne precautions.

4. Reverse isolation
Isolation precautions are usually intended to
keep yourself protected from germs the patient
may be carrying, but reverse isolation is different.
The purpose is to protect the patient from any
germs the staff or visitors are carrying. Patients
who have a decreased immune system, usually
from chemotherapy, may be placed in reverse
isolation. If you have a patient in reverse
isolation, you need to wear gloves, a mask, and a
gown.