Infection

Throughout history man has faced the spread of infection, pondering its causes and how to treat it or prevent it. Infections have been known to affect major segments of the population, as did the plague in the Middle Ages. Although important advances have been made in understanding and treating infection, the threat of infection looms as large as it ever has.

Newer enemies in the battle of infection emerge such as HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Once conquered enemies become resistant to treatment, as it the case of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Healthcare personnel typically encounter numerous patients on a daily basis, many of whom may be harboring these or other agents of infection. Measures to prevent the spread of infection must be taken in the course of treating all patients.

Below we explain the infection process and describe infection control measures needed to protect healthcare patients, staff, visitors, and those who do business with healthcare facilities.

Our environment is full of microorganisms (microscopic organisms) referred to as microbes. Microbes include bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses. The majority of microbes are non-pathogenic, meaning they do not cause disease under normal conditions. Microbes that are capable of causing disease are called pathogens.

If a pathogen invades the body and the conditions are favorable for it to multiply and cause injurious effects or disease, the resulting condition is called an infection. The pathogen responsible for causing the infection is referred to as the infectious or causative agent. Infection can be local (restricted to a small area of the, body) or systemic, in which the entire body is affected.

Some pathogenic microbes cause infections that can be spread from person to person. These infections are called communicable infections and the diseases that result are called communicable diseases. A division of the U.S. Public Health Service called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is charged with the investigation and control of various diseases, especially those that are communicable and have epidemic potential. The CDC recommends safety precautions to protect healthcare workers and others from infection.

Approximately 5% of patients in the United States are exposed to and contract some sort of infection after admission to a hospital or other healthcare facility. These infections can result from contact with infected personnel, other patients, and visitors, or contaminated equipment.

The source is the origin of infectious microorganisms, also called the reservoir. Sources of infectious microbes include infected humans or anima1s and contaminated articles and equipment. In a healthcare setting, human sources of infectious microbes can be patients, personnel, or visitors, and can include those with active disease, those whose disease is in the incubation period, and those who are chronic carriers of a disease. Another potential source of infectious microbes is a person’s own normal flora (microorganisms that normally live on the skin and other areas of the human body).

Inanimate objects such as contaminated equipment can be a major source of infection in a healthcare setting. Whether or not an inanimate source is capable of transmitting infection depends upon the amount of contamination, the viability or ability of the organism to survive on the source, the virulence or degree to which an organism is capable of causing disease, and the amount of time elapsed between when the source was contaminated and when it was contacted.

There are five basic modes or routes of infection transmission: contact, droplet, airborne, vehicle, and vector. The same microbe can be transmitted by more than one route.

Contact transmission is the most frequent mode of infection transmission. There are two types of contact transmission: direct transmission and indirect transmission.

Direct contact transmission involves direct, physical transfer of a pathogenic microbe to a susceptible host through close or intimate contact such as touching or kissing.

Indirect contact transmission involves personal contact by a susceptible host with contaminated inanimate objects such as patient bed linens, clothing, dressings and eating utensils.

It includes contact with phlebotomy equipment such as gloves, needles, specimen tubes, and phlebotomy carts and trays. It also includes less obvious contaminated objects such as doorknobs and faucet handles. The transfer of infectious microbes from contaminated hands to a susceptible host is also considered indirect contact transmission.

Droplet transmission involves the transfer of the infective microbe to the mucous membranes of the nose or mouth or the conjunctiva (mucous membranes) of the eyes of a susceptible individual through sneezing, coughing, or talking by an infected person. Droplet transmission can also occur during procedures such as suctioning and throat swab collection. It differs from airborne transmission in that droplets do not travel more than 3 feet and do not remain suspended in air.

Airborne transmission involves dissemination of the residue of evaporated droplets generated by sneezing, coughing, or talking. Infectious microbes within droplet nuclei can remain viable even though suspended in the air or in dust particles for long periods.

Microbes carried in this manner can become widely dispersed before being inhaled by or deposited on a susceptible host. For this reason, special air handling and ventilation are required for rooms of patients having infections with airborne transmission.

Vector transmission involves the transfer of the microbe by an insect, arthropod, or animal.

Vehicle transmission involves the transmission of the infective microbe through contaminated food, water or drugs.

A susceptible host is someone who has decreased ability to resist infection. Susceptibility is affected by age, health, and the immune status of the individual.

Breaking the chain of infection means stopping infections at the source, eliminating means of transmission and reducing or eliminating the susceptibility of potential hosts.

Ways to prevent transmission of infectious microbes are proper hand washing, use of gloves, gowns, masks and other protective equipment when indicated; proper waste disposal, isolation procedures, insect and rodent control and decontamination of surfaces and instruments.

Susceptibility of potential hosts can be reduced through proper nutrition, reduction of stress, and immunization against common pathogens.

Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control (HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGY & INFECTION CONTROL (MAYHALL))
publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, published: 2011-10-14
ASIN: 160831300X
EAN: 9781608313006
sales rank: 429843
price: $186.93 (new), $184.51 (used)

Basic Infection Control for Healthcare Providers
by: Michael Kennamer
publisher: Delmar Cengage Learning, published: 2006-08-01
ASIN: 141801978X
EAN: 9781418019785
sales rank: 140327
price: $19.98 (new), $3.00 (used)

Basic Infection Control for Health Care Providers, Second Edition, is a clear and concise guide to preventing occupational exposure hazards and communicable and infectious diseases. This book includes coverage on how to safely protect oneself from infectious agents and what do in case of infectious exposure. Discussions of the disease process and legal issues surrounding exposure and infectious diseases provide context for the material. The blend of fundamental infection control content and reference resources makes this tool perfect for use in an instructional setting or as a reference for practicing health care providers.

Infection Control and Management of Hazardous Materials for the Dental Team (INFECTION CONTROL & MGT/ HAZARDOUS MAT/ DENTAL TEAM ( MILLER))
by: Chris H. Miller BA MS PhD
publisher: Mosby, published: 2009-02-23
ASIN: 0323056318
EAN: 9780323056311
sales rank: 171515
price: $23.99 (new), $20.00 (used)

Maintain safety and infection control in the dental office with Infection Control and Management of Hazardous Materials for the Dental Team, Fourth Edition. This practical and comprehensive resource covers the basic concepts of infectious disease and infection control, including step-by-step descriptions of specific procedures and supplies and equipment needed for disease prevention. The Fourth Edition features new chapters on the latest topics impacting office safety and the most current regulatory recommendations for protection of dental patients and dental workers. No matter what your role on the dental team, this text will help you implement infection control in everyday practice.

• Follows dental curricula requirements for infection control
• Subject matter is organized logically, making it easier to successfully comprehend the material.
• Tables are used throughout the text to highlight similarities and differences among related topics; boxes draw your attention to the information you need to remember most.
• Line drawings and photos show the latest equipment, supplies, and procedures.
• Selected readings at the end of each chapter provide sources of further information on the topics discussed.
• The Glossary defines all key terms in one convenient place.
• The Resource List includes organizations, federal agencies, and website addresses to help you stay current on rapidly changing topics.

• An account of the first reported patient-to-patient spread of the hepatitis B virus in a dental office
• A detailed description of the three types of steam sterilizers including the newest type B office model vacuum sterilizer
• Information on the wipe-discard-wipe approach to surface disinfection
• NEW chapter on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) helps you understand OSHA standards and know how to respond in the event of an inspection.
• Two new tables on office safety management: Measure the Effectiveness of an Infection Control Program and Examples of What to Evaluate in a Dental Office Infection Control Evaluation Program
• NEW chapter on medical tourism looks at the practice of traveling internationally to obtain health care
• NEW chapter on greener infection control addresses the impact that infection control procedures can have on the environment and provides suggestions for developing a more eco-friendly program.
• Addition of Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis In Health-Care Settings, 2005, Dental-Care Settings Excerpt
• A new accompanying EVOLVE site provides a variety of learning resources, including answers for the Review Questions found at the end of each chapter and a printable version of the Exposure Incident Report.

Communicable Disease Control and Health Protection Handbook
by: Jeremy Hawker
publisher: Wiley-Blackwell, published: 2012-03-20
ASIN: 1444335677
EAN: 9781444335675
sales rank: 817152
price: $75.00 (new)

This clear and concise text combines science with practical guidance for public-health physicians, epidemiologists, infection control nurses, microbiologists, and those training in these fields. It covers basic principles of communicable disease control and health protection, major syndromes, control of individual infections, main services and activities, organizational arrangements for all EU countries and sources of further information. All chapters have been updated in line with recent changes in epidemiology, new guidelines for control and administrative changes. New chapters on pandemic planning and flu chapter expanded to cover seasonal, avian and pandemic flu.

Infection Control: Basic Infection Prevention Techniques
Basic Infection Prevention Techniques (131.1) – This program will discuss the chain of infection as well as some of the basic interventions that can be performed to protect patients and staff including the use of standard precautions and personal protective equipment (PPE), proper hand washing, and cleaning personal equipment between patients. www.conceptmedia.com

Infection

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 7th, 2011 at 10:21 AM and is filed under Health issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.