Unit 7: Safety, Infection Control, Immune System, and Mobility Skills

7.1: Safety & Infection Control – Notes

safety
______________________ is the condition of being protected from danger or injury. Maintaining
safe conditions in a healthcare facility consists of ___________________
avoiding danger, risks, injury,
and infection for patients, healthcare workers, and visitors. Regulations are usually spelled out
in the facility’s ________________________________.
safety manual

Certain rules are included in all safety manuals:

• always hold handrails when using stairs

________________________________________________________
• never run in a hallway
________________________________________________________
• do not prop open fire safety doors
________________________________________________________
• store items in a safe manner
________________________________________________________
• obey evacuation routes posted in the facility
________________________________________________________

emergency codes
Hospital ________________________________ alert healthcare workers to urgent situations.
They convey information causing panic among patients & visitors.

fire in the facility

– Code Red: __________________________________

cardiac arrest
– Code Blue: __________________________________

child abduction
– Code Pink: __________________________________

hazardous material spill

– Code Orange: __________________________________

dangerous person w/ weapon

– Code Silver: __________________________________

bomb threat
– Code Black: __________________________________

diasaster
A ______________________ is any sudden event that brings great damage, loss, or destruction.
terrorism
Examples: ___________________________ fires
___________________________

catastrophic accidents
___________________________ tornadoes
___________________________

earthquakes hurricanes
___________________________ ___________________________

explosions
___________________________ gun violence
___________________________

1
Patient Safety

detail
Caring for patients requires serious attention to _____________________ to provide
competent
___________________ care and prevent accidents. Some patient safety guidelines are universal.
Examples:

• always identify the patient first

________________________________________________________
• explain the entire procedure and make sure you have the patients consent
________________________________________________________
• never perform a procedure for which you are not trained
________________________________________________________
• observe the patient carefully for any changes in condition or status
________________________________________________________

incident
An _____________________ is any event that is not a part of routine operations.

safety
Incident reports should be used to document both ________________ and
non-safety
____________________-related occurrences. The report must be filled out __________________,
immediately
completely, and _____________________ after the incident.

Employee Safety

It is important to maintain employee safety as well as patient safety.

OSHA
The ___________ educate
Hazard Communication Standard requires employers to _________________
employees about chemical hazards in the workplace.

material safety data sheets

______________________________________ (MSDS) should accompany every chemical used in a
healthcare facility.

Electrical Safety

burns
Failure to observe electrical safety can result in _____________, severe skin damage,
death
unconsciousness, or even ________________.

overload
Do not _________________ any electrical plugs or outlets.

facilities manual
Follow all electrical safety regulations in a ___________________________________.

2
Radiation Safety

machine
Radiation exposure can occur near any ___________________ radiation
that uses ____________________.

Factors involved in the degree of exposure:

• amount of radiation
_______________________________________
duration of exposure
• _______________________________________

• distance from the source

_______________________________________

• type of shielding used

_______________________________________

As Low As Reasonably Achievable

ALARA principle: ___________________________________________________

Fire Safety

Fire can occur where the three elements of the fire triangle are present:

fuel
_________________ heat
_________________ oxygen
_________________

Follow the facility’s evacuation routes and emergency plans.

rescue
RACE: __________________, alarm
__________________, contain
__________________, extinguish
__________________

5 types of fire extinguishers, contents, & uses:

pressurized water (for ordinary combustibles)

Type A: ___________________________________________________________________

carbon dioxide (for flammable liquids)

Type B: ___________________________________________________________________

dry chemical (for electrical equipment)

Type C: ___________________________________________________________________

class D dry chemical (for combustible metals)

Type D: ___________________________________________________________________

multi-purpose dry chemical (for ordinary combustibles, flammable liquids, and electrical and equipment fires)
Type E: ___________________________________________________________________

movements
Body mechanics relate to the proper use of body ______________________ to prevent
injury
_______________ physical
during the performance of __________________ tasks, such as lifting & sitting.

efficiency
Ergonomic practices seek to maximize ______________________ and prevent
discomfort
_____________________ or injury during the time a person is performing work tasks.

3
 sitting
Follow ergonomic practices when __________________, standing
_____________________,
reaching
___________________, lifting
and ______________________.

policies
Quality improvement (QI) is a term for ___________________ that motivate or require
healthcare facilities to _____________________
monitor and evaluate their services based on
improving
predetermined criteria for the purpose of _____________________ those services.

safety
___________________ criteria are a major part of quality improvement.

government
Several _____________________ agencies are involved in protecting health and safety.

Infection Control

microorganisms
Healthcare facilities battle continuously to prevent the spread of _______________________
disease
that can cause infectious __________________. These microorganisms, known as pathogens, can
present major problems both for _________________
patients and employees.

microorganisms
___________________________ include bacteria, viruses, & fungi.

aerobes
Some microorganisms require oxygen to live (_________________) and some require little to no
anaerobes
oxygen (____________________).

bacteria
______________________ are small, one-celled microorganisms that cannot be seen by the
pathogenic
naked eye; can be ___________________, but some are helpful to maintain the balance in the
form
environment inside our bodies. They are classified by ____________ structure
and ____________________.

antibiotics
Bacterial infections are treated with _______________________.

resistance
________________________ all
can develop if patients do not take _________ of their prescribed
not
antibiotics, antibiotics are prescribed when _______ needed, or _________________
genetic mutation of
bacteria has occurred.

viruses
__________________ living
are much smaller than bacteria and depend on a _______________ cell to
reproduce
survive because they cannot ___________________ on their own. They cause the common cold,
smallpox, chicken pox, measles, influenza, HPV, Herpes, AIDS and many more!

4
 time
Antibiotics do not kill viruses. Usually, ____________ rest
and ____________ are necessary to let
most of these illnesses run their course.

vaccines
________________________ have been developed against many viral diseases.

fungi
Some _____________ can cause disease, including athlete’s foot and certain lung diseases.

protozoa
_______________________ host
are larger than viruses and depend on a ____________ to survive and
replicate. Can cause amoebic dysentery, trichomoniasis, and malaria.

parasites
_______________________ organism
are organisms that live in or on another ____________________. They
normally choose fleas, lice, ticks or mites as their host organism. If one of these creatures bites
host
a human, that human’s body becomes the ___________.

antibiotic
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an ___________________-resistant
bacterium responsible for a difficult-to-treat infection.

MRSA is prevalent in hospitals, prisons, schools, and nursing homes or anywhere where residents
open wounds
with ___________________________ weakened
and ____________________ immune systems are confined
greater
in close quarters. These patients are at _____________ risk of infection than the general public.

chain of infection
The ____________________________ illustrates the sequence of events that allows infection to
invade the body. Reservoir
or Host
Modes of transmission include:
Susceptible Portal of
• person to person contact with infectious body secretions
direct contact: ___________________________________ Host Exit
(germs on hands)
________________________________________________

• pathogen comes from food, air, soil, feces, equipment,

indirect contact: ___________________________________
clothing, and more.
__________________________________________________ Portal of
Entry
Mode of
Transmission
• insects, rodents, or other small animals can spread pathogen by
vectors: ___________________________________________
biting a host.
__________________________________________________

5
 nosocomial
Hospital-acquired infections are called ________________________________. They can cause
pneumonia and infections of the bloodstream, urinary tract, and other parts of the body.

resistance
The reduced infection _____________________ of hospitalized patients contributes to the rate
break
of infections. Several methods are used to _______________ the chain of infection to control the
spread
___________________ of disease.

hand hygiene
_______________________________ is the single most important way to prevent the spread of
CDC
infection. The _________ has issued hand hygiene guidelines for healthcare workers. It takes at
20 seconds
least ____________________ to wash your hands properly.

asepsis
The absence of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms is called _________________.

medical
__________________ reduce
asepsis, or clean technique, includes procedures used to ______________
the number or organisms present and prevent the transfer of organisms.

surgical
__________________ asepsis, or sterile technique, prevents contamination of an open wound,
serves to isolate the operative area from the unsterile environment, and maintains a
sterile field
_____________________________ for surgery.

antisepsis
__________________ prevent
refers to using an antiseptic to _______________ inhibit
or _______________
growth of pathogenic organisms.

living tissue
Sanitization: use of antimicrobial agents on objects, surfaces, or _________________________
reduce
to ________________ the number of disease-causing microorganisms to nonthreatening levels.
(Ex – cleaning a table after eating)

nonliving objects
Disinfection: use of antimicrobial agents on _______________________________ to
destroy
________________ or deactivate microorganisms. (Ex – floors and walls of a hospital room are
disinfected.)
microorganisms
Sterilization: kills all _________________________ on a surface. The most common method is
autoclave
the use of an __________________, which is a machine that employs hot, pressurized
steam
________________ for cleaning purposes. The steam’s high temps kill all microorganisms and
their spores.

6
To avoid exposure to potentially harmful substances, employees must strictly follow the
OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard
______________________________________________.

infectious
Bloodborne pathogens are __________________ blood
microorganisms found in human ___________
disease
that can cause _________________ in humans. A few examples: Hepatitis B & C and HIV.

For safety, healthcare workers should always proceed as if these substances are
infectious
________________.

gloves
__________________ are not always worn when giving patient care, but they must be worn when
blood
there is the possibility of being exposed to ______________ bodily fluids
and _________________________.

Several body fluids have the potential to transmit harmful pathogens:

• human blood
_________________________________
• semen and vaginal secretions
______________________________________________
• Body fluids such as cerebrospinal, synovial (joint), pleural (lung), pericardial (heart),
peritoneal (abdominal cavity) and amniotic (surrounding unborn baby) fluid.
• human tissue(such as a biopsy)
_______________________________________

infections
Isolation separates patients with certain ___________________ from other patients.

barriers
Protective gloves, gowns, masks, and face shields serve as _________________ against infection.

Healthcare facilities use two levels of isolation practices:

basic practices intended to prevent the spread of infection

• Standard precautions: __________________________________________________________
• used in addition to standard precautions and divided into 3 categories.
Transmission-based precautions: _________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Transmission-based precautions are designed for patients with highly transmissible infections.

3 types of precautions:

• airborne
_________________ precautions: protect against small airborne droplets or dust particles
containing microorganisms
droplet
• _________________ precautions: protect against large droplet transmission, as in
coughing or sneezing

• contact
_________________ precautions: protect against the spread of microorganisms through
direct or indirect contact
7
OSHA requires that all workers be provided with appropriate
personal protective equipment
________________________________________ (PPE).

injuries
PPE protects workers from serious workplace _________________ or illnesses resulting from
hazards
contact with various __________________. This equipment can include face shields, safety
goggles
glasses, _________________, gowns, ______________,
gloves and face masks.