Bloodborne Pathogens Uncovered:
Empowering Safety with ACEMAPP
Risks of exposure - Factors that determine the overall risk for occupational
transmission of a bloodborne pathogen include:
- The number of infected individuals in the general population
- The change of becoming infected after a single blood contact from an infected
individual
- the types of exposures
- the frequency of exposures
Reducing risks of occupational exposure: remain vigilant - Safe work practices
include the proper disposal of used needles in appropriate "sharps" disposal
containers and using devices with safety features. For example, always engage
safety devices on sharps before disposing them in the sharps container
- It is a matter of utmost importance that you maintain hand hygiene and observe the
Standard Precautions at work, such as wearing Personal Protective Equipment, to
avoid occupational exposure
Reducing Risks of Occupational Exposure: Hand Hygiene - Some basic hand
hygiene practices to remember:
* Comply with all facility-specific infection control policies
* Use only facility- approved hand soap and sanitizer
* Wash hands with soap and water if visibly soiled
* If hands are not visibly soiled, washing them with facility-approved hand sanitizer is
acceptable
* Wash hands before and after wearing gloves
- Wash hands when entering and exiting a patient room
Reducing Risks of Occupational Exposure: Additional Hygiene Practices - Additional
hygiene practices include, but are not limited to, the following:
* Make sure that no food or drink are kept in refrigerators, freezers, shelves,
cabinets, or on countertops where blood or potentially infectious materials are
present.
* Do not eat, drink, smoke, apply makeup or lip balm, or handle contact lenses in
areas of possible exposure
* Minimize the amount of spraying, splattering, and generation of droplets when
performing any procedures involving blood or potentially infectious materials
Standard Precautions - Exposure
* When handling blood or other infectious material, minimize your exposure by
wearing required personal protective equipment such as gloves, goggles, and other
barrier devices
* If any part of you is exposed, you should wash the exposed area thoroughly with
soap and water and report any suspected exposure to your supervisor
Medical waste
* Handle sharp objects with caution and dispose of them appropriately
, * Use personal protective equipment while handling medical waste
* Dispose of all contaminated material in the proper manner. Place all medical waste
in a "sharps" container: a red leak-proof container marked with either biohazard or
medical waste
Standard Precautions - Hygiene and Facility Cleanliness
* Treat all human body fluids and items soiled with human body fluids as
contaminated and disinfect all areas of spills of body fluid
Healthcare-associated infections - Standard precautions-including diligent hand
hygiene, along with cleaning and disinfecting patient care equipment and the
patient's environment- are also essential strategies for preventing the spread of
healthcare-associated infections
Healthcare-associated infections are infections that occur in patients during the
course of receiving treatment for other conditions within a healthcare setting
These include surgical site infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections,
ventilator-associated pneumonia, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections
Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) - Multidrug-resistant organisms- also
referred to as antibiotic-resistant organisms- are bacteria that are resistant to one or
more classes of antibiotics
Common MDROs include:
* Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
* Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus
* Clostridium difficile (C.diff)
Isolation Practices - In certain situations, extra precautions need to be taken to
protect patients, particularly when someone is infected or colonized with a multi-drug
resistant organism or susceptible to acquiring an infection.
* These practices are used when the routes of spread are not completely interrupted
using Standard Precautions alone.
Isolation Practices - Isolation practices include:
- Contact precautions- for certain diseases spread by direct or indirect contact with
microorganisms (patient or environment)
- Contact precautions D- for certain diseases spread by direct or indirect contact with
stool (patient or environment)
- Droplet precautions- for certain diseases spread by close exposure to large
respiratory particles
- Respiratory isolation- for diseases that remain infectious over long distances when
suspended in the air
- Pandemic Precautions- for pandemic diseases
- Protective precautions- to minimize the exposure of immunocompromised patients
to communicable diseases.
More on MDROs - * When it comes to MDROs, it is important to know that they are
spread through contact, often by the hands of healthcare workers
Empowering Safety with ACEMAPP
Risks of exposure - Factors that determine the overall risk for occupational
transmission of a bloodborne pathogen include:
- The number of infected individuals in the general population
- The change of becoming infected after a single blood contact from an infected
individual
- the types of exposures
- the frequency of exposures
Reducing risks of occupational exposure: remain vigilant - Safe work practices
include the proper disposal of used needles in appropriate "sharps" disposal
containers and using devices with safety features. For example, always engage
safety devices on sharps before disposing them in the sharps container
- It is a matter of utmost importance that you maintain hand hygiene and observe the
Standard Precautions at work, such as wearing Personal Protective Equipment, to
avoid occupational exposure
Reducing Risks of Occupational Exposure: Hand Hygiene - Some basic hand
hygiene practices to remember:
* Comply with all facility-specific infection control policies
* Use only facility- approved hand soap and sanitizer
* Wash hands with soap and water if visibly soiled
* If hands are not visibly soiled, washing them with facility-approved hand sanitizer is
acceptable
* Wash hands before and after wearing gloves
- Wash hands when entering and exiting a patient room
Reducing Risks of Occupational Exposure: Additional Hygiene Practices - Additional
hygiene practices include, but are not limited to, the following:
* Make sure that no food or drink are kept in refrigerators, freezers, shelves,
cabinets, or on countertops where blood or potentially infectious materials are
present.
* Do not eat, drink, smoke, apply makeup or lip balm, or handle contact lenses in
areas of possible exposure
* Minimize the amount of spraying, splattering, and generation of droplets when
performing any procedures involving blood or potentially infectious materials
Standard Precautions - Exposure
* When handling blood or other infectious material, minimize your exposure by
wearing required personal protective equipment such as gloves, goggles, and other
barrier devices
* If any part of you is exposed, you should wash the exposed area thoroughly with
soap and water and report any suspected exposure to your supervisor
Medical waste
* Handle sharp objects with caution and dispose of them appropriately
, * Use personal protective equipment while handling medical waste
* Dispose of all contaminated material in the proper manner. Place all medical waste
in a "sharps" container: a red leak-proof container marked with either biohazard or
medical waste
Standard Precautions - Hygiene and Facility Cleanliness
* Treat all human body fluids and items soiled with human body fluids as
contaminated and disinfect all areas of spills of body fluid
Healthcare-associated infections - Standard precautions-including diligent hand
hygiene, along with cleaning and disinfecting patient care equipment and the
patient's environment- are also essential strategies for preventing the spread of
healthcare-associated infections
Healthcare-associated infections are infections that occur in patients during the
course of receiving treatment for other conditions within a healthcare setting
These include surgical site infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections,
ventilator-associated pneumonia, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections
Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) - Multidrug-resistant organisms- also
referred to as antibiotic-resistant organisms- are bacteria that are resistant to one or
more classes of antibiotics
Common MDROs include:
* Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
* Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus
* Clostridium difficile (C.diff)
Isolation Practices - In certain situations, extra precautions need to be taken to
protect patients, particularly when someone is infected or colonized with a multi-drug
resistant organism or susceptible to acquiring an infection.
* These practices are used when the routes of spread are not completely interrupted
using Standard Precautions alone.
Isolation Practices - Isolation practices include:
- Contact precautions- for certain diseases spread by direct or indirect contact with
microorganisms (patient or environment)
- Contact precautions D- for certain diseases spread by direct or indirect contact with
stool (patient or environment)
- Droplet precautions- for certain diseases spread by close exposure to large
respiratory particles
- Respiratory isolation- for diseases that remain infectious over long distances when
suspended in the air
- Pandemic Precautions- for pandemic diseases
- Protective precautions- to minimize the exposure of immunocompromised patients
to communicable diseases.
More on MDROs - * When it comes to MDROs, it is important to know that they are
spread through contact, often by the hands of healthcare workers
