How are infections spread?
Risk factors for infection Factors that affect a person’s susceptibility to infection include: •
age (the very young and very old are more susceptible)
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immune status
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physical well-being
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psychological well-being
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hygiene
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underlying or chronic diseases or medical conditions (e.g. diabetes, chronic chest and heart problems or cancer)
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other existing infections
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medical interventions (e.g. indwelling medical device)
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medical therapies (e.g. cancer chemotherapy).
Principles of asepsis Asepsis is defined as the absence of pathogenic organisms. Aseptic technique is used to describe clinical procedures that have been developed to prevent contamination of wounds and other susceptible body sites. The principles of asepsis/aseptic technique are: •
keeping the exposure of a susceptible site to a minimum
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ensuring appropriate hand decontamination prior to the procedure
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using sterile or non-sterile gloves depending on the nature of the susceptible site and the nature of the procedure being undertaken
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protecting uniform/clothing with a disposable plastic apron
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ensuring all fluids and materials used are sterile
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checking sterile packs for evidence of damage or moisture penetration
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ensuring contaminated/non-sterile items are not placed in the sterile field
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not re-using single-use items
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reducing activity in the immediate vicinity of the area in which the procedure is to be performed.
The principles of aseptic ‘no-touch technique’ play a vital role in preventing the transmission of infection in any environment. It is the responsibility of each staff member to understand the meaning of these principles and to incorporate them into their everyday practice.
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