Aseptic Technique 1

Procedures and systems relevant to the prevention and control of infection are following companies’ policies and procedures which relate to correct hand washing procedure, wearing correct PPE for example gloves, aprons and protective clothing, the correct disposal of waste and using the correct cleaning equipment when cleaning spillages, surfaces, equipment, etc.

Before I started the assessment I used alcohol gel to decontaminate my hand. NICE (2006) states that hand must be decontaminated before each and every episode of direct patient care. It is important to decontaminate my hand to prevent cross-infection of micro-organisms from staff to patient, for example Hospital Acquired Infection. I realised that I am going to have contact with body fluid and blood therefore I put on a pair of latex gloves and disposable plastic apron. Wandsworth Teaching Primary Care Trust May (2008) states that ‘Personal Protective Equipment is designed to protect the healthcare worker from coming into contact with potentially infectious body fluids. It may also protect the patient from the healthcare workers own microbial flora’.

All areas that are being used for healthcare activities should be cleaned with either disinfectant wipes each morning and in between patients/procedures. Equipment should be all new out of the packets and clean. For things more major such as vasectomy’s, minor surgery or family planning clinics, areas should be cleaned everywhere with a disinfectant fluid and also with wipes, gloves should always be worn as well as other PPE such as aprons and hats. All equipment should be new from the packet and only touched by the person who is using

Sterile Processing compromises a service of which the medical and surgical supplies of any medical facility’s equipment and instrumentation- sterile or non-sterile are cleaned, prepared, processed, stored, and distributed throughout the healthcare facility. There are several functions of this highly skilled team perform on a daily basis from decontamination to the sterilization of high risk medical implant devices. They are the first line of defense in infection prevention for any patient receiving medical treatment in healthcare facilities. Japp (2014) affirmed the importance of properly processing medical devices performed by Sterile Processing technicians for patient safety by stating a critical point “Not following the correct process can be detrimental to the patient as the device that we are assuming is safe for the patient may all actually cause severe illness or death” (p.

Once the dressings were securely on and the procedure had been finished, I removed my apron and gloves and disposed of them in the plastic bag, along with everything thing else I had used and then washed my hands again. After leaving the patients home I discussed my practical experience with the Nurse who informed me that I although I had carried out the procedure well it was actually carried out using a clinically clean technique rather than the Aseptic Non Touch Technique as I had thought. As I had used the same gloves to remove the dirty dressings from the leg ulcer and then apply new sterile dressings I had not maintained the Aseptic Non Touch Technique. The Nurse informed me that this was perfectly suitable for the procedure I carried out as the wound was still kept as clean as possible and dressings and equipment used were sterile.

infection control a dirty, unkempt uniform is a harbor for unwanted bacteria. Along with uniform proper hand hygiene must always be performed before and after patient care. A professional appearance will display an

worker wearing an apron and gloves for procedures will reduce the spread of infection by preventing infection passing on from

While shadowing my fellow upper cohorts during the clinic I had made many observations. Unfortunately I was only able to shadow one clinic, although I observed a lot. Marie was the first student that I was shadowing, she was the CA for the day. We started by stocking the cabinets with the necessities. Marie and I then took the dental tools out of the machines that cleaned, sterilized, and dried them. I was shown that there are two sides in the lab. What I mean by this is that the left side is a dirty side which you should always wear gloves so that you are always protected from the bacteria and germs that the tools carry. Everything on this side has to be handled carefully and you must always wash and sanitize your hands when you are through. The right side is the clean side where the tools and dental accessories are kept so that they stay clean and sterile. Next I was with Jennifer, although she had no patients that day due to a

https://opentextbc.ca/clinicalskills/chapter/surgical-asepsis/. An example of surgical asepsis is the surgical technologist wearing proper attire. This is known as PPE, protective personal equipment. It is equipment and clothing that protects

The unit utilizes an evidence-based testing and pre-surgical evaluation processes, thereby making it ideal to do the required assessment, testing, and treatment effectively. Although, there continues to be resistance from some surgeons, majority are taking notice of the major impacts of inadequate pre-operative patient preparation. The JC risk assessment recommendations dictate institutions are responsible to reduce infections caused by Multi Drug Resistant Organisms (MDRO) and the initial occurrence of an epidemiologically significant organism (2016).

Different gloves should be used for personal care and food preparation to avoid cross contamination. Gloves and aprons should be disposed of at the end of each call. Hands should be washed on entering and leaving each call and after smoking and eating. Hair should be tied back if it is mid length or long. Tissues should be used if coughing or sneezing and disposed of and then hands should be washed.

Research shows that Surgical site infections are preventable. According to the CDC, hand hygiene is the simplest approach to preventing the spread of infections and needs to be incorporated into the culture of the organization. Ensuring the use of infection control prevention is an important component of nursing care. Infection control prevention policies must be communicated undoubtedly to all employees. Staffers who do not comply must be re-educated to ensure that all are complying. Speaking up and pointing out that a nurse forgot to wash his or her hands, or notifying the surgical team that surgical instruments were not adequately cleaned may seem like small issues; but at the same time, not acknowledging a break in a sterile technique could mean the difference between life and death for a patient. One hospital that was struggling with high levels of infection related to surgical procedures, implemented a pre-procedure huddle as a team. This innovate way decreased the spread of infection and was a great way to improve the quality of care for patients. As mandated by the Joint commission, infection prevention personnel should provide multidisciplinary education on SSI prevention, to all team members, including

Relating back to my previous work I noted that it was essential that nurses wore aprons during patient care, ensuring that they discarded of them after patient contact. Not only does wearing an apron act as a barrier it is also recognised as a type of PPC (Personal protective clothing). Cadlin J, Stark S (2005) suggests that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) (1991, 1992) says “Health and Safety Regulations require that all healthcare employees are provided with personal protective clothing”. However McCullough (1998) suggests that nurses’ uniforms are not considered protective clothing and that protection within the NHS is provided by the use of disposable aprons. Surprisingly some healthcare workers and qualified nurses were not discarding aprons after patient contact, not only is this bad practice but it increases the risk of cross infection between patients. Babb et al (1983) within Candlin J, Stark S (2005) article found that “although micro-organisms can survive for varying lengths of time and adhere to plastic aprons, they do not multiply and are difficult to redistribute”.

* Hand washing is the most important method of preventing the spread of infection by contact (Ayliffe et al 1999). The Nottingham University Trust Policy on Hand Hygiene (2009) states that there are three types of hand hygiene, the first is ‘routine hand hygiene’ which involves the use of soap and water for 15 – 20 seconds or the application of alcohol hand rub until the hand are dry. The second is ‘hand disinfection’ which should be used prior to an aseptic procedure by washing with soap and water and applying alcohol hand rub afterwards. The third is ‘surgical hand washing’ which is the application of a microbial agent to the hands and wrists for two minutes. In addition to which a sterile, disposable brush may be used for the first surgical hand wash of the day although continued use will encourage colonisation of microbes. The third example is the most appropriate to any O.D.P undertaking the surgical role as it is the best way for the surgical team to eliminate transient flora and reduce resident skin flora (World Health Organization 2010). The first and second are important to any O.D.P undertaking any other role within the Operating Department as this is the best way to reduce the transient microbial flora without necessarily affecting the resident skin flora

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the leading type of infections among hospitalized patients. There are so many reasons why people go for surgery; it can be an emergency reasons or elective. According to Beaver, (2008) a primary concern in healthcare today is the prevention of infections. Careful handling of the surgical equipment reduces the chances of surgical site infections, for instance equipment sterilization and careful hand hygiene of surgical equipment.