INFECTION

CONTROL
&
UNIVERSAL
PRECAUTIONS
 Session Objectives

By the end of the session participants will be able to:

Understand the importance of Standard Workplace
Precautions

Discuss components of Standard Workplace Precautions

Discuss how to protect Health Care Workers and others

from acquiring infection

Understand the various precautions used to prevent

disease transmission

Standard Workplace Precautions

 DEFENITION
• Measures practiced by health care personnel to
prevent spread, transmission and Acquisition
of infection between clients, from health care
providers to clients and from clients to health
care providers.

Standard Workplace Precautions

 • INFECTION COTROL MEASURES ARE BASED ON
HOW AN INFECTIOUS AGENT IS TRANSMITTED .
INCLUDES …
STANDARD PRECAUTIONS
ADDITIONAL PRECAUTIONS

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Chain of Infection
Agent
↓
Reservoir
↓
Portal of exit
↓
Mode of transmission
↓
Portal of entry
↓
Susceptible host
Standard Workplace Precautions
 STANDARD PRECAUTIONS

Specific precautions designed to prevent

harmful bacteria and viruses from infecting
people who are providing first aid or health
care.

Standard Workplace Precautions

 STANDARD PRECAUTIONS

• As defined by CDC:

• Standard Precautions are a set of practices designed

to prevent the transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B and
other blood borne pathogens (bacteria and viruses).

• Under SP, blood and other body fluids of all patients

are considered potentially infectious.

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Standard Precautions

Method of infection control that uses

1) Work Practices,
2) Engineering Controls, And
3) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

to reduce or eliminate exposure to infectious agents.

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Standard precautions
1) Work practices
 Hand hygiene
 No eating, drinking in areas with risk of transmission
 No re-capping of used needles

2) Engineering controls
 Safety devices on sharp medical devices
 Sharps containers
 Hand washing facilities

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Standard precautions

3) PPE
 Used as last resort when exposure has not been
eliminated by work practices and engineering
controls

 Provides protection to skin, clothing, nose, mouth,

eyes

 Examples: gowns, gloves, goggles, masks

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Infectious Wastes Specifically Are
Blood and blood products in a free
flowing and unabsorbed state

Body organs

Contaminated sharps

Isolation Wastes

Laboratory wastes

Unfixed pathological tissues

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Hand Hygiene
Hands are the most common mode
of pathogen transmission
Hand washing is an extremely
important step in overall infection
control
Hand washing significantly removes
the bacterial flora and HIV from the
skin surface
Hand washing protects you and
your patients from the pathogen
transmission

Standard Workplace Precautions

Hand Hygiene Types of Hand Hygiene

Hand wash
- 40-60 seconds

Hand rub
- 20-30 seconds

Hand scrub
- 5 minutes (first wash of the
day);
2-3 minutes (in between
Standard Workplace Precautions
operations)
 “5 Moments for Hand Hygiene”

Standard Workplace Precautions

 When should you wash your hands?
Before, during, and after preparing food
Before eating food
Before and after caring for someone who is sick
Before and after treating a cut or wound
After using the toilet
After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
After touching garbage

Standard Workplace Precautions

 What is the right way to wash
your hands?
Wet your hands with clean running water
(warm or cold) and apply soap

Rub your hands together to make a

lather and scrub them well; be sure to
scrub the backs of your hands, between
your fingers and under your nails

Continue rubbing your hands for at least

20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the
"Happy Birthday" or “Twinkle , Twinkle”
song from beginning to end twice
Image Courtesy GHTM/I-TECH,
Rinse your hands well under running Tambaram, Chennai
water. Dry your hands using a clean
towel or air dry.
Standard Workplace Precautions
 Effective Hand Washing
Areas commonly missed in hand washing

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Effective Hand Washing

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Hand Hygiene and Gloves
Gloves are not the substitute for
Hand Washing
Always wash hands before / after
removing gloves, after handling all
materials known or suspected to be
contaminated
Good hand washing: 20 seconds
with running water, soap & friction
Gloves need to be removed between
patients
Dispose of single-use items correctly
after use
Standard Workplace Precautions
 What is the alternate way?
Washing hands with soap and water is the best way
to reduce the number of germs on them
If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-
based hand sanitiser, contains at least 60% alcohol
Alcohol-based hand sanitisers can quickly reduce
the number of germs on hands in some situations,
but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs
Apply the product to the palm of one hand
Rub your hands together
Rub the product over all surfaces of your hands and
fingers until your hands are dry
Hand sanitisers may not be as effective when hands
are visibly dirty

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Personal Protective Equipment

• “specialized clothing or equipment worn by an

employee for protection against infectious materials”

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Personal Protective Equipments (PPE)
Used in Healthcare Settings
Gloves: Protect hands
Gowns/aprons: Protect skin
and/or clothing
Masks and respirators: Protect
mouth/nose
Respirators: Protect
respiratory tract from airborne
infectious agents
Goggles: Protect eyes
Face shields: Protect face, mouth,
nose and eyes

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Factors Influencing PPE Selection
Type of exposure anticipated

Splash / spray versus touch

Category of isolation precautions

Durability and appropriateness for the task

Fit to the user

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Gloves...
Always wear gloves when …

• Direct contact with body fluids is

anticipated (nosebleeds, bleeding
abrasions, etc.)

• Handling clothes soiled by urine, feces, vomit or

blood

• Diapering children

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Gloves
…
•
One time use.
•
If gloves not immediately available, use barrier such as
paper towels.
•
When removing, peel off hands and roll glove outside in.
•
Discard gloves in lined trash container.

• Wash hands after removing gloves.

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Hand Protection: Gloves
Gloves are not the substitutes
for Hand washing
Standard Workplace Precautions
Minimise the risk of acquiring
infections from patients
Prevent microbial flora from
being transmitted from health
care providers to patients
Glove material – vinyl, latex,
nitrile
Sterile or non-sterile
One or two pair
Single use or reusable
 Gloves
Should be available in a variety
of sizes and types
May causes hand fatigue,
if gloves don’t fit correctly
Glove integrity may be
compromised
Injury is more likely to occur
due to an ill fitting glove

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Example of Gloves that are too TIGHT

Will cause fatigue Pulls too tightly across the

as fingers try to flex palm; Will cause fatigue at
thumb joint

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Example of Gloves that are too LOOSE

Gloves that are too large pose a danger as excess glove

material can catch on something and tear
Tactile sensitivity during procedures is greatly reduced as well

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Do’s and Don’ts of Glove Use
Work from “clean to dirty”
Limit opportunities for “touch contamination” - protect
yourself, others and the environment
Don’t touch your face or adjust PPE with contaminated
gloves; Don’t touch environmental surfaces except as
necessary during patient care
Change gloves
During use if torn and when heavily soiled (even during
use on the same patient); After use on each patient
Discard in appropriate receptacle
Never wash or reuse disposable gloves

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Gowns or Aprons

Purpose of use
Material:
Natural or man-made
Reusable or disposable
Resistance to fluid penetration
Clean or sterile

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Face Protection

Masks – protect nose and mouth

Place over nose, mouth and chin. Fit
flexible nose piece over nose bridge.
Secure on head with ties or elastic
and adjust to fit
Should fully cover nose and mouth
and prevent fluid penetration

Goggles – protect eyes

Should fit snuggly over and around eyes
Personal glasses not a substitute for
goggles

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Sequence for Donning PPE

Gown first
Mask
Goggles or face shield
Gloves

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Sequence for Removing PPE

Gloves
Face shield or goggles
Gown
Mask

Standard Workplace Precautions

 Key Points About PPE
• Done before contact with the patient, generally
before entering the room

• Use carefully – don’t spread

contamination

• Remove and discard carefully, either at the

doorway or immediately outside patient room;
remove respirator outside room

• Immediately perform hand hygiene

PPEStandard
Use in Healthcare
WorkplaceSettings
Precautions
 Respiratory Hygiene / Cough
Etiquette
• A measures to contain respiratory secretions in
patients and accompanying individuals who have
signs and symptoms of a respiratory infection.

 Cover the mouths/noses when coughing or

sneezing.

 Use and dispose of tissues.

 Perform hand hygiene if hands have been in

contact with respiratory secretions.

Standard Workplace Precautions

Standard Workplace Precautions
 Elements:
 Post signs at entrances and in strategic places (e.g.,
Respiratory Hygiene / Cough

elevators, cafeterias) within ambulatory and

inpatient settings with instructions to patients and
other persons with symptoms of a respiratory
infection
Etiquette

 Provide tissues and no-touch receptacles

(e.g., foot- pedal operated lid or open,
plastic-lined waste basket) for disposal of
tissues.

 Provide resources and instructions for performing

hand hygiene in or near waiting areas in
ambulatory and inpatient settings; provide
conveniently-located dispensers of alcohol- based
hand rubs and, where sinks are available, supplies
Standard Workplace
forPrecautions
hand washing.
 THANK
YOU

Standard Workplace Precautions