Introduction to infection control
Definitions & Key takeaways
Infection control refers to practices that are designed to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in healthcare settings. Infections are caused by different types of tiny and simple pathogenic organisms, meaning organisms that cause diseases. Healthcare providers should be able to recognize common pathogens and how to protect themselves and their clients against infections, especially nosocomial infections - the ones acquired in a healthcare setting. Among infection control strategies we have medical asepsis, surgical asepsis, barrier methods, and isolation precautions.
Intro0:00–0:32
Infection control refers to practices that are designed to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in healthcare settings.
Infections are caused by different types of tiny and simple pathogenic organisms, meaning organisms that cause diseases.
As a nursing assistant, it’s important to recognize the common pathogens and how to prevent infection in yourself and your clients.
Now let’s look at the pathogens that can cause infections. First, we have viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, hepatitis B, and C viruses, and coronavirus.
Classes of pathogens0:32–1:52
These are the most simple infectious pathogens and are usually made of their genetic material, proteins, and sometimes an envelope.
Next, we have bacteria, which are more complex. Some examples of these pathogens include Streptococcus pyogenes, which can cause strep throat; Escherichia coli, which is a common cause of urinary tract infections; and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is a pathogen that causes tuberculosis.
Next, we have fungi, which are plant-like organisms. A common one is Candida albicans, which is a normal part of the human flora.
However, in certain conditions, it can cause yeast infections in the vagina, mouth, or skin. Finally, we have parasites, which can be subdivided into helminths, such as pinworm, which causes intestinal pinworm infection; protozoa, like Toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis that can affect the brain; and insects, such as Sarcoptes scabiei, which is a pathogen that causes scabies on the skin.In order to cause diseases, pathogens first must invade a person’s body, which is a process known as infection.
Defense mechanisms1:52–2:45
To do this, they also have to evade a person’s immune system, which is subdivided into non-specific and specific immunity.
Non-specific immunity includes physical barriers, such as intact skin and mucous membranes, and immune cells that can destroy pathogens, such as white blood cells.
On the other hand, specific immunity refers to the defense mechanisms that are acquired once a person is exposed to a specific pathogen or vaccine.
These include lymphocytes, which can recognize specific pathogens and destroy them. Some lymphocytes will produce antibodies, which are proteins that only attach to the specific pathogen the lymphocyte recognizes.
This marks the pathogen as a target for white blood cells to attack. Now, once a person is infected, non-specific and specific symptoms of infection will arise.
Non-specific signs and symptoms include headache, fatigue, chills, fever, and decreased appetite. On the other hand, specific signs and symptoms depend on the type of a pathogen and the organ system that is affected.
Signs & symptoms of infection2:45–3:57
For example, gastrointestinal infections are associated with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; while respiratory infections are characterized by rhinorrhea, or runny nose, sneezing, and coughing.
Urogenital infections are usually associated with burning sensation when urinating and genital discharge; while general infections of the skin are associated with skin rashes.
On the other hand, localized infections of the skin, like when a cut or wound gets infected, are typically characterized by pain, swelling, redness, and discharge from an infected area.
In severe cases, a person can have increased heart and respiratory rate, blood pressure variations, difficulty breathing, confusion, and disorientation.
It’s important to note that if you notice any of these signs you should immediately inform the nurse!Now, in order to spread from person to person, a pathogen requires 6 important elements that are mutually connected and referred to as the chain of infection.
Chain of infection3:57–5:58
The first link is a pathogen that can infect a person and cause disease. The second link is a reservoir, which is a place where a pathogen lives and multiplies.
Reservoirs can be people, animals, but also objects, food, and water. The next link is a portal of exit, which is a way for the pathogen to leave the reservoir.
For example, if the reservoir is a human, pathogens can exit an infected person via feces, vomitus, saliva, urine, blood, or pus.
The next one is the mode of transmission, which is how the pathogen gets to the host and this can be direct and indirect.
Direct mode of transmission typically occurs when an infected person sneezes or coughs and a non-infected person inhales the pathogen-containing droplets.
On the other hand, indirect mode of transmission occurs when an infected person contaminates surrounding objects, which are later used by non-infected people.
Finally, the last link in the chain of infection is a susceptible host. Susceptible hosts represent people with weakened immune systems and increased risk of infection such as very young children, very old people, people with chronic diseases or indwelling medical devices, like urinary catheters, and people taking medications or with disorders that negatively affect the immune system.
Other important risk factors for infection are also stress and fatigue! Since you’ll be working in the healthcare setting where there’s an abundance of susceptible hosts, it's extremely important for you to understand and utilize proper infection control procedures.
Now, infections that occur in a healthcare setting are called healthcare-associated infections, or HAIs, or nosocomial infections.
In order to prevent them, health care systems developed infection control procedures, which cover practices that are designed to break one of six links in the chain of infection.
Health care-associated infection and infection control5:58–7:10
Infection control includes medical asepsis, such as hand washing — the most important method to prevent infection spread — and disinfection of the environment; surgical asepsis, the sterilization of surgical equipment; barrier methods, such as personal protective equipment like masks and gloves; and isolation precautions, which limits contact with possible sources of infection.
Moreover, isolation precautions are further subdivided into standard- and transmission-based precautions. Standard precautions are designed to reduce the risk from both known and unknown sources of infection, while transmission-based precautions are designed to provide additional safety in individuals with suspected or known disease.
Based on the mode of transmission, transmission-based precautions are subdivided into contact, droplet, and airborne precautions.All right, as a quick recap...
Organisms that can cause an infection are called pathogens. In order to spread from person to person, a pathogen requires 6 important elements that are mutually connected and referred to as the chain of infection.
Recap7:10–7:55
These include pathogen, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host. Infections that occur in a healthcare setting are called healthcare-associated or nosocomial infections.
To prevent them, health care systems developed infection control, which covers practices that are designed to break one of six links in the infection chain.
Infection control includes medical asepsis, surgical asepsis, barrier methods, and isolation precautions. to break one of the six links in the infection chain.
Infection control includes medical asepsis, surgical asepsis barrier methods and
No notes for this video yet
Try adding a note below