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Hand Hygieneand Infection Control

Sirius Business Services Ltd

www.SiriusBusinessServices.co.uk

Tel 01305 769969info@SiriusBusinessServices.co.uk

Whatever your First Aid , Fire Safety orHealth & Safety requirement, we are here tohelp you.There is a degree of flexibility in all courseprogrammes to allow us to accommodateany specific requirements you may have.Please contact us for further information.

Chain of infection

The chain of infection provides an overview of the process by which a residentacquires any type of infection. The characteristics of each link show howorganisms are transferred. Breaking the link or cycle is necessary to prevent thespread of any infection.

MRSA Clostridium difficile Pseudomonasaeruginosa Norovirius Influenza

Break in skin(wound) cut orneedlestick injury

Mucousmembranes (mouth,eyes, nose)

Inhalation -(breathing)

Standard infection prevention & controlprecautions

A simple, consistent and effective approach to infectionprevention & control

Hand hygiene Use of gloves

Safe handling ofsharps

Safe handling ofwaste

Safe handling ofsoiled linen

Minimise contactwith blood andbody fluids byensuring safe

working practices,protective barriers

and a safeworking

environment.

EnvironmentalCleaning

Hand washing technique with soap and water

Wash hands when visibly soiled! Otherwise, use hand rub.

Hands should be washed before and after all care procedures, and handling food.Also after dealing with used linen, waste and body fluids or contaminated equipmentand after removing gloves.

tap;

Adapted from World Health Organisation ‘Clean Care is Safer Care’ About Save Lives: Clean Your Handshttp://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/background/5moments/en/

Asepsis and aseptic technique

The principles of asepsis play a vital role in the prevention of infection in allenvironments and is the responsibility of all care staff to understand theseincorporating them into their everyday practice where it is relevant.

The principles of asepsis/aseptic technique require that:

• Exposure of anysusceptible areasis kept to aminimum.

Exposure

• Correct handdecontaminationshould be carriedout.

Handhygiene

• Correct type ofgloves are used asappropriate.

Gloves

• Uniform andclothing isprotected with adisposable plasticapron.

Clothing

• All fluids andmaterials used aresterile.

Materials

• Sterile packs arechecked fordamage, expiry ormoisturepenetration.

Sterile

• Contaminated non-sterile items are notplaced in the sterilearea.

Non-sterile

• Single use itemsare never reused.

Single use

My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene

The ‘My 5 moments for Hand Hygiene’ approach defines the keymoments when health care workers should carry out hand hygiene.

This evidence based, field tested, user-centred approach is designedto be easy to learn, logical and applicable in a wide range of settings.

This approach recommends health-care workers to clean theirhands:

1. before touching a patient,2. before clean/aseptic procedures,3. after body fluid exposure/risk,4. after touching a patient, and5. after touching a persons surroundings.

1BEFORETOUCHING APATIENT 4

AFTERTOUCHING APATIIENT

Adapted from World Health Organisation ‘Clean Care is Safer Care’ About Save Lives: Clean Your Handshttp://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/background/5moments/en/

Alcohol hand-rub hand hygiene techniquefor visibly clean hands

Rub hands for hand hygiene! Wash hands when visibly soiled.

Alcohol hand rubs are an effective and rapid means of hand decontamination andshould only be used on visibly clean hands.

Adapted from World Health Organisation ‘Clean Care is Safer Care’ About Save Lives: Clean Your Handshttp://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/background/5moments/en/

Outbreaks of communicable infection oran infection control incident

A number of infectious diseases may spread readily to other patientsand cause outbreaks within any healthcare environment.

The commonest outbreaks are due to viral respiratory infections andgastroenteritis. The organisms may be spread by hand contact and onoccasion by other routes which may include food.

• an outbreak isdefined as two ormore related cases ofinfectious disease.

Definition ofan outbreak

•Manager/owner•Health Protection Unit•Infection control lead•All staff•Pat ients/relatives•General practitioner

When andwho to inform

• Ensure relevant personshave been informed.

• seek advice asappropriate recollection ofmicrobiologicalspecimens.

Outbreak planand response

• It is important tostart a record keepingfile and collect alldata for futurereference.

Record keeping

• By using standardprecautions the riskof spreadinginfectious disease isreduced.

General controlmeasures

• Consider stoppingtransfers betweenHealthcare settingsuntil considered safeto doso.

Admissions,discharges.

My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene

The ‘My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene’ approach defines the keymoments when health care workers should carry out hand hygiene.

This evidence based, field tested, user-centred approach is designedto be easy to learn, logical and applicable in a wide range of settings.

This approach recommends health-care workers to clean theirhands:

1. before touching a patient,2. before clean/aseptic procedures,3. after body fluid exposure/risk,4. after touching a resident, and5. after touching a persons surroundings.

AFTERTOUCHING APATIENT4

BEFORETOUCHING APATIENT1

5 AFTER TOUCHINGPATIENTSSURROUNDINGS

Adapted from World Health Organisation ‘Clean Care is Safer Care’ About Save Lives: Clean Your Handshttp://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/background/5moments/en/

My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene

The ‘My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene’ approach defines the keymoments when health care workers should carry out hand hygiene.

This evidence based, field tested, user-centred approach is designedto be easy to learn, logical and applicable in a wide range of settings.

This approach recommends health-care workers to clean theirhands:

1. before touching a patient,2. before clean/aseptic procedures,3. after body fluid exposure/risk,4. after touching a patient, and5. after touching a persons surroundings.

AFTERTOUCHING APATIENT4

BEFORETOUCHING APATIENT1

5AFTER TOUCHINGPATIENTSSURROUNDINGS

Adapted from World Health Organisation ‘Clean Care is Safer Care’ About Save Lives: Clean Your Handshttp://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/background/5moments/en/

Safe handling and disposal of sharps

Staff should be trained in the safe handling and disposal of sharps.Venepuncture and injections should only be carried out by trained andcompetent staff.

Risks

Disposal Safety

Injury

· Inoculation, cuts andother injuries.

· Transmission andexposure of bloodborne viruses (BBVs).

· Bacterial infections.

· If an injury occurs thenbleed it, wash it andreport it.

· Use a waterproofdressing.

· Complete an incidentform.

· Sharps must not bepassed from hand tohand.

· Never re-sheath usedneedles.

· Sharps safety beginswith you.

Container

· Never overfill asharps bin.

· Correct disposalshould be immediate.

· Ensure properclosure and completelabels of containers.

Position

· Always assemble andlabel containerscorrectly.

· Available at point ofuse.

· Ensure appropriate sizeis used for activity.

· Ensure correctcontainer is available atpoint of use.

· Located at correctheight in safe position.

· Available at point ofuse.

Linen and laundry

· The provision of clean linen is a fundamental requirement of care.· Incorrect handling and storage of linen can pose an infection hazard.· Ambulances use a variety of different laundry systems and equipment,

therefore it is important to understand the system being used and why.

.

• Items should onlybe washed in adedicated laundryroom using thecorrect process.

Washed

• Separate Trolleysshould be used forclean, used andsoiled laundry toavois crosscontamination.

Trolleys

• Used linen andclothing mustalways be kept inlaundry bags orbaskets and notloose on the floor.

Used

• When handlinglaundry you shouldalways wear glovesand an apron andcarry out handhygiene.

Handling

• Clean linen shouldbe stored in a dryarea above floorlevel.

• It must not be storedwith used linen.

Storage

• It is theresponsibility of theperson handlinglinen to ensure it issegregatedappropriately.

Segregate

Decontamination of equipment

Decontamination can be achieved by a number of methods, which fallinto the following three categories.

Cleaning

• Physically removes contamination.Prerequiste to effective disinfection/sterilisation.Most common choice of decontamination in ambulances

Disinfection

• Reduces the number of viable mircro-organisms.May not inactivate certain viruses and bacterial spores.

Sterilisation• Renders an object free from viable micro-organisms

including viruses and bacterial spores.

The choice of decontamination method depends on the risk of infectionto the person coming into contact with equipment or medical device.

Low Risk

• Items that come into contact with intact skin.Items that do not come into contact with the patient.Items require regular cleaning.

IntermediateRisk

• Items that come into contact with intact skin & mucousmembranes.Items require cleaning followed by disinfection or sterililisation.

High Risk

• Items used to penetrate skin, mucous membrane, vascularsystem or sterile spaces.Single use items are preferred but must be sterilised if reusable.

Glucose monitoring

Routine diabetes care involves monitoring blood glucose levels bytaking a sample of capillary blood with a fingerprick lancing device and

testing it with a glucometer.

Which Device?

• Single use unit• Disposable• Used once only• Complete unit to be

discarded after use.

Disposable

•Firing mechanism is separatefrom lancet & endcap.

•Endcap & lancet are discardedafter each use.

•Units should be cleaned using amild detergent and disinfectedaccording to manufacturerguidelines.

Reusable

• Wear well fitting and correct sizegloves.

• Always change gloves betweenresident contact.

• Ensure hand hygiene before andafter use of gloves.

• Use standard infectionprevention and controlprecautions

Hand hygiene& glove use