Summrise Infection Control

Basic Principles of Infection Control
Hand hygiene;
Hand hygiene is he most important and effectivemethod in preventing the spread of healthcare associated infections. Inadequate hand hygiene can increase the risk of transmission of transient micro-organisms which have been acquired through contact with patients,staff, contaminated equipmentand the work environmen.
The SARl (Strategy for the Control of Antimicrobial Resistancen in lreland) guidelines for hand hygiene (2005) have set out three different levels of hand hygiene which are to be utilised in the healthcare environment:
Social hand hygiene -can be used following most daily;                                                                   Antiseptic hand hygiene -is used where a higher level of cleanliness obtained from social hand hygiene is required.                                                                                                                                                                                     Surgical hand hygiene -is used before all surgical procedures and removes all transient and resident micro-organisms.
Use of Personal Protective Equipment.                                                                                         Personal protective equipment (PPE) involves the use of gloves, apron, eye protection and face mask.                                                                                                                                                     Gloves-are used to protect hands from getting soiled and from picking up micro-organisms, and also to reduce the risk of spreading micro-organisms to a client or others.
Important points to remember:
1. Disposable gloves must be put in the correct bin after each use.
2. Disposable gloves must never be washed for reuse and must be changed between caring for different clients, or between different care activities for the same client.
3. Gloves must never be used as a substitute for hand...