INFECTION CONTROL AND SAFETY
BIOLOGICAL HAZARD SYMBOL
-To know the potential dangers that might be encountered
-To be prepared on how to handle these dangers
Ex. In the hospitals, u will be med tech in the future, knowing these
symbols will help us identify potential dangers that we may encounter.
Different hazard symbols have different dangers that they are warning
us about.
Most common hazard symbols we encounter in lab and hospitals is the
biological hazard symbol, which is warning us that that place can cause
infection.
It is important to disinfect our work area because we are dealing with diff
samples and human specimens and fluids that has pathogens causing infection
and be prepared in handling these dangers.
2. Infection acquired within and until 28 hrs after leaving healthcare facility?
Answer: NOSOCOMIAL INFECTION (Hospital acquired/ health-care-acquired
infection”
Old term used is “nosocomial infection”
-Nosocomial infection most likely to carry disease-causing microorganisms
-Patients are usually present in these kinds of institutions, so they have a weaker
immune system, hence they can acquire yet another infection. They carry diseases
which may also be acquired by healthcare workers.
CHAIN OF INFECTION
- All conditions/ elements are linked together. In the chain, there are 6
elements. Each must be present in order for an infection to occur. If all conditions/ elements are linked together,
then there is an infection.
- To stop the spread of infection, we need to break the chain that links them together.
CHAIN OF INFECTION
1. Infection Agent • Pathogens that cause disease
• Bacteria, Virus, Fungi, Parasites
2. Reservoir • Place or environment where the microbes are able to live, thrive, and multiply
• Places where pathogens can survive
• Humans can be a host and reservoir
• Microbes can also survive in inanimate objects. This is why disinfection is important.
Fomites - Inanimate object, such as linens and curtains, that can be contaminated with
different microorganisms
3. Means/Mode of • A way of reaching the host
Transmission • Different means of transmission: Physical Contact, Droplet, Airborne, Vector (uses
another organism), Vehicle (food and water),
*Microorganisms can be carried in smaller objects such as droplets and dust particles.
Airborne transmission can carry smaller pathogens than droplet transmission. Droplet
transmission can only travel by being carried by droplets at most 3 ft from the initial
transmission, while airborne transmission can be further than 3 ft.
4. Portal of Entry • Opening in the body of the host
• A way in which the pathogen can enter the body of the host
• Portal of entry can be the portal of exit but not all the time
• If it is the portal of entry, is it also the portal of exit. Pathogens are very smart. Their
sense of survival is very strong, they need to know that they have a portal of entry and
that they also need a portal of exit for their survival and for their eventual spread. So,
does it mean if this is your portal of entry, this is also your portal of exit? No. Not all
the time.
o E.g. STDs or HIV. Their common portal of entry is the sex organs. If the
pathogen for HIV was able to enter your body using the portal of entry –
vagina. What is the portal of exit? Vagina can be the portal of exit, but it can
also be the anus, it can also be other body fluids such as blood (cut in the
skin). That’s why it doesn’t mean that if this is the portal of Entry, it’s also the
portal of exit.
Blood. We can transmit blood borne pathogens through e.g. blood transfusion. What is the
means of transmission if the pathogens used blood to transfer from one host to another? If in
, HIV, you had a sexual contact with another person and transmit it to that person, then that
counts as physical contact So how about if blood transfusion or even drug usage, the reusing
of needles? In this case, the blood acts as a vehicle for transferring the pathogens from one
organism to another. So, the blood borne pathogens that can cause transmission are called
vehicles. Vehicle Transmission
Susceptible Host
• capable
• With a decreased ability to resist infection
• Low resistance/immune resistance is low
• Autogenous infection
- from the patient’s own body
- “normal flora” or good bacteria living in our body meaning they exist there normally and they don’t cause
disease to their host
- point in where the good bacteria may go to another part of the body where they do not exist normally then
that is the time that they can cause infection (like during cuts/abrasion, gives the change for the normal flora
living on our skin to get inside our bloodstream where they are not considered as normal flora so they can
now cause diseases/infection)
• If person is healthy then there will be better pathogen immunity.
Factors that can compromise your immune system:
1.Age - Young people usually have weak immune system
- That’s why hospitals prohibit visitors that are children
- Older individuals also have a weaker immune system
2. Underlying - If you’re already sick, you’re more prone to contact another infection because your
illness/sickness immune system is already weaker
3. Stress
4.Fatigue
5.Lack of proper nutrition
Ways that can strengthen your immune system:
1. Healthy diet
2. Exercise
3. Vaccines
• Give us immunity to various diseases
• As hospital workers, we also have required vaccines before working in a hospital
Chain of Infection
- All conditions/elements are linked together. If all are present there is infection or the infection continues to exist
- To stop the spread you must break the chain
Areas To break the link in this element
Cell reservoir Description: Humans, vectors, food, water, airborne, droplet spray, physical contact
To break: o Frequent hand hygiene so that we can stop the contact and spread of these pathogens
that are using these environments as cell reservoir.
o Frequent disinfection in our work areas
Portal of exit o we as future medtechs must follow the standard precautions in our workplace by doing hand hygiene
o when dealing with specimen properly seal these specimen containers
o Follow proper waste management
Mode of o Hand hygiene
transmission o Following standard precaution by wearing PPE’s especially when extracting blood from our patients
o Follow isolation procedures. Isolate patients from other patients to minimize the spread of infection
Portal of o Hand hygiene as phlebotomist we should not be the ones carrying the infection that’s why frequent
Entry hand hygiene
o Follow standard precautions, wear PPE’s, and use sterile equipment especially needles and syringes
Susceptible o Must have a healthy lifestyle
host o Be immunized
o Following isolation procedure. Isolate the susceptible host so they may not be in contact with these
different pathogens and infection
PROCEDURES TO CONTROL AND MONITOR INFECTIONS IN AN INSTITUTION
Infection Control
- Maintains a safe working environment for both workers and patients
- Limits the spread of infection by the use of formalized protocols and procedures
- Aims to break the chain of infection
- Monitors and collects data on all infections occurring in the institution
BIOLOGICAL HAZARD SYMBOL
-To know the potential dangers that might be encountered
-To be prepared on how to handle these dangers
Ex. In the hospitals, u will be med tech in the future, knowing these
symbols will help us identify potential dangers that we may encounter.
Different hazard symbols have different dangers that they are warning
us about.
Most common hazard symbols we encounter in lab and hospitals is the
biological hazard symbol, which is warning us that that place can cause
infection.
It is important to disinfect our work area because we are dealing with diff
samples and human specimens and fluids that has pathogens causing infection
and be prepared in handling these dangers.
2. Infection acquired within and until 28 hrs after leaving healthcare facility?
Answer: NOSOCOMIAL INFECTION (Hospital acquired/ health-care-acquired
infection”
Old term used is “nosocomial infection”
-Nosocomial infection most likely to carry disease-causing microorganisms
-Patients are usually present in these kinds of institutions, so they have a weaker
immune system, hence they can acquire yet another infection. They carry diseases
which may also be acquired by healthcare workers.
CHAIN OF INFECTION
- All conditions/ elements are linked together. In the chain, there are 6
elements. Each must be present in order for an infection to occur. If all conditions/ elements are linked together,
then there is an infection.
- To stop the spread of infection, we need to break the chain that links them together.
CHAIN OF INFECTION
1. Infection Agent • Pathogens that cause disease
• Bacteria, Virus, Fungi, Parasites
2. Reservoir • Place or environment where the microbes are able to live, thrive, and multiply
• Places where pathogens can survive
• Humans can be a host and reservoir
• Microbes can also survive in inanimate objects. This is why disinfection is important.
Fomites - Inanimate object, such as linens and curtains, that can be contaminated with
different microorganisms
3. Means/Mode of • A way of reaching the host
Transmission • Different means of transmission: Physical Contact, Droplet, Airborne, Vector (uses
another organism), Vehicle (food and water),
*Microorganisms can be carried in smaller objects such as droplets and dust particles.
Airborne transmission can carry smaller pathogens than droplet transmission. Droplet
transmission can only travel by being carried by droplets at most 3 ft from the initial
transmission, while airborne transmission can be further than 3 ft.
4. Portal of Entry • Opening in the body of the host
• A way in which the pathogen can enter the body of the host
• Portal of entry can be the portal of exit but not all the time
• If it is the portal of entry, is it also the portal of exit. Pathogens are very smart. Their
sense of survival is very strong, they need to know that they have a portal of entry and
that they also need a portal of exit for their survival and for their eventual spread. So,
does it mean if this is your portal of entry, this is also your portal of exit? No. Not all
the time.
o E.g. STDs or HIV. Their common portal of entry is the sex organs. If the
pathogen for HIV was able to enter your body using the portal of entry –
vagina. What is the portal of exit? Vagina can be the portal of exit, but it can
also be the anus, it can also be other body fluids such as blood (cut in the
skin). That’s why it doesn’t mean that if this is the portal of Entry, it’s also the
portal of exit.
Blood. We can transmit blood borne pathogens through e.g. blood transfusion. What is the
means of transmission if the pathogens used blood to transfer from one host to another? If in
, HIV, you had a sexual contact with another person and transmit it to that person, then that
counts as physical contact So how about if blood transfusion or even drug usage, the reusing
of needles? In this case, the blood acts as a vehicle for transferring the pathogens from one
organism to another. So, the blood borne pathogens that can cause transmission are called
vehicles. Vehicle Transmission
Susceptible Host
• capable
• With a decreased ability to resist infection
• Low resistance/immune resistance is low
• Autogenous infection
- from the patient’s own body
- “normal flora” or good bacteria living in our body meaning they exist there normally and they don’t cause
disease to their host
- point in where the good bacteria may go to another part of the body where they do not exist normally then
that is the time that they can cause infection (like during cuts/abrasion, gives the change for the normal flora
living on our skin to get inside our bloodstream where they are not considered as normal flora so they can
now cause diseases/infection)
• If person is healthy then there will be better pathogen immunity.
Factors that can compromise your immune system:
1.Age - Young people usually have weak immune system
- That’s why hospitals prohibit visitors that are children
- Older individuals also have a weaker immune system
2. Underlying - If you’re already sick, you’re more prone to contact another infection because your
illness/sickness immune system is already weaker
3. Stress
4.Fatigue
5.Lack of proper nutrition
Ways that can strengthen your immune system:
1. Healthy diet
2. Exercise
3. Vaccines
• Give us immunity to various diseases
• As hospital workers, we also have required vaccines before working in a hospital
Chain of Infection
- All conditions/elements are linked together. If all are present there is infection or the infection continues to exist
- To stop the spread you must break the chain
Areas To break the link in this element
Cell reservoir Description: Humans, vectors, food, water, airborne, droplet spray, physical contact
To break: o Frequent hand hygiene so that we can stop the contact and spread of these pathogens
that are using these environments as cell reservoir.
o Frequent disinfection in our work areas
Portal of exit o we as future medtechs must follow the standard precautions in our workplace by doing hand hygiene
o when dealing with specimen properly seal these specimen containers
o Follow proper waste management
Mode of o Hand hygiene
transmission o Following standard precaution by wearing PPE’s especially when extracting blood from our patients
o Follow isolation procedures. Isolate patients from other patients to minimize the spread of infection
Portal of o Hand hygiene as phlebotomist we should not be the ones carrying the infection that’s why frequent
Entry hand hygiene
o Follow standard precautions, wear PPE’s, and use sterile equipment especially needles and syringes
Susceptible o Must have a healthy lifestyle
host o Be immunized
o Following isolation procedure. Isolate the susceptible host so they may not be in contact with these
different pathogens and infection
PROCEDURES TO CONTROL AND MONITOR INFECTIONS IN AN INSTITUTION
Infection Control
- Maintains a safe working environment for both workers and patients
- Limits the spread of infection by the use of formalized protocols and procedures
- Aims to break the chain of infection
- Monitors and collects data on all infections occurring in the institution
