Infection control

NURS 315

Course Director: Dr. Mohammed Elbagir

‫السالم عليمك ورمحة هللا وبراكته‬
‫‪Greeting‬‬

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Course Main Objectives
At the end of this course, the students will be able to:
• Give the student an overview of the information, skills, and attitudes needed to practice
basic infection control methods at different levels of prevention in health care
situations.
• Learn about microorganisms that are useful or harmful for living creatures, infection
chains, and susceptibility factors.
• Discuss the methods of disinfection, sterilization, medical and surgical asepsis,
universal precaution, and infection control prevention strategies, policies, and
processes.
• Use the concepts of prevention and control when an outbreak of a healthcare-associated
illness occurs.
• Recognize the importance of the multidisciplinary team and the program of the
Ministry of Health in the national and global issues of infection control.
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 Introduction
Infection control definition
To prevents or stop the spread of infections in healthcare settings.
How Infections Spread
Germs are a part of everyday life and are found in our air, soil, water, and in and on our
bodies. Some germs are helpful, others are harmful. Many germs live in and on our bodies
without causing harm and some even help us to stay healthy. Only a small portion of germs
are known to cause infection.
How Do Infections Occur?
An infection occurs when germs enter the body, increase in number, and cause a reaction of
the body.
Three things are necessary for an infection to occur:
Source - Susceptible - Transmission

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  Sources:
• An infectious agent or germs refers to a virus, bacteria, fungi and parasite.
• In healthcare settings, germs are found in many places. People are one source of germs
including:
 Patients
 Healthcare workers
 Visitors and household members
• Germs are also found in the healthcare environment:
• Dry surfaces in patient care areas (e.g., bed rails, medical equipment, countertops, and
tables)
• Wet surfaces (e.g., cooling towers, faucets and sinks, and equipment such as ventilators)
• Indwelling medical devices (e.g., catheters and IV lines)
• Dust or decaying debris (e.g., construction dust or wet materials from water leaks)

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 Susceptible Person:

• A susceptible person is someone who is not vaccinated or otherwise immune,

or a person with a weakened immune system who has a way for the germs to
enter the body.
• For an infection to occur, germs must enter a susceptible person’s body and
invade tissues, multiply, and cause a reaction.

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 Transmission:

 Transmission refers to the way germs are moved to the susceptible person
through:
• Contact moves germs by touch
• Sprays and splashes occur when an infected person coughs or sneezes
• Inhalation occurs when germs are aerosolized in tiny particles
• Sharps injuries

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 Infection control

• Infection control is the practice of preventing and controlling the spread of

infectious diseases.

• It involves procedures such as hand hygiene, disinfection of equipment,

sterilization of medical instruments and other protective measures taken to prevent
the spread of infection.

• Infection control measures are important in all areas of healthcare, including

inpatient care, outpatient care, long-term care, laboratory settings, and even in the
home.

• Practicing effective infection control can reduce the risk of infection, save lives,
prevent spread of disease and promote good health.

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Basic Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines

• Administration control
• Disinfection and sterilization
• Environmental infection control
• Hand hygiene
• Isolation precautions

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  Administration Control:

• Is the first and most important level of the hierarchy.

• Administrative controls, are management measures that are intended to reduce the
risk or exposure to any person with infectious agent.

• These control measures consist of the following activities:

• Assigning someone the responsibility for infection control in the health care
setting.

• Conducting a risk assessment of the setting.

• Developing and implementing a written infection-control plan.

• Ensuring proper cleaning, sterilization, or disinfection of equipment that might be

contaminated (e.g., endoscopes).
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  Administration Control:

• These control measures consist of the following activities:

• Educating, training, and counseling health care workers, patients, and visitors about
infection and disease.

• Testing and evaluating workers who are at risk for exposure to transmission
diseases.

• Applying epidemiology-based prevention principles.

• Using posters and signs to remind patients and staff of important of Infection
control.

• Coordinating efforts between local or state health departments and high-risk health-
care and congregate settings.
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Infection Control Risk Assessment
• Health care persons are at risk of infectious exposures but it is vary depending on their
duties.

• Assessments conducted to identify actual or potential infection risks for populations and to
inform measures that reduce those risks.

• Risk assessments can provide data for quality assurance operations such as performance
measurement, facility certification, and service enhancements

• Risk assessments may be prompted by the desire to create a safer workplace; federal, state,
or local requirements; and by incidents, such as reports of exposures or illnesses among
Health care persons, infectious disease outbreaks, and device and equipment failures
resulting in Health care persons exposures or injuries.

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The General Hospital Environment

• A hospital is not an isolated social environment; it has, given its mission, very
serious intrinsic social responsibilities .
• A hospital needs to be integrated with its surroundings and should minimize its
impact upon them, thus contributing to the welfare of the people who live near it.
• New developments in science and health care must be combined with
environmental protection, because environmental policies in a hospital affect the
quality of life of HCWs within the hospital and those who live outside it.

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Healthy Hospital Environment
Hospitals reach a large population of employees, patients and visitors and can have
an impact on neighboring communities .
o Hospitals can create policies and environments to improve:
 Nutrition—providing healthier food and beverage options.
 Physical activity—providing opportunities for physical activity.
 Breastfeeding and lactation support.
 Tobacco-free spaces.
 Hospitals partnering with public health for environment change.
 Hospitals partnering at the hospital association level in environment change.
 Community benefits—promoting healthier options in communities, schools, and
early care and education settings.

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Organization of Hospital Infection Control Program
Healthcare-associated infection (HCAI)

 Is one of the most common complications of healthcare management.

 Is defined as an infection occurring in a patient in a hospital or other healthcare

facility.

 In whom the infection was not present or incubating at the time of admission.

 This includes infection acquired in the hospital but appearing after discharge and

also occupational infection among staff of the facility.

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Components of hospital infection control program

There are three main components of Hospital Infection Control Program

Preventive
Surveillance Training
Measures

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Preventive Measures:
 Isolation Precautions under certain special circumstances or outbreak situation,
Eg.,Covid19 prevention, combating Swine Flu, MRSA outbreak in any unit etc.
 Immunization of Healthcare Workers (HCWs).
 Sterilization, disinfection and decontamination of medical instruments and
environment.
 Appropriate use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
 Antimicrobial stewardship program.
 Use of single use devices.
 Spill management.
 Reporting and Management of accidental injuries by sharps.
 Use of blood and blood products.
 Hospital Bio Medical Waste Management.
 Environmental Management Practices.
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Surveillance:

Passive Active

Reporting by Incidence of
Laboratory Medical records
physicians and
Prevalence of
based (post discharge) nurses HCAI HCAI

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Surveillance:

Surveillance

Evaluation of the
impact of the Data
surveillance & Analysis
corrective action Infection
control
Practices

Targeted
Preventive Feedback&
or Dissemination
corrective Information
action

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Training of Health Care workers:

 Sensitization about infection control program and practices to all cadres of HCWs.
 Organize and impart periodic in-house training to HCWs.
 Send members of Hospital Infection Control Committee (HICC), Infection Control Team
(ICT), Physicians and Nurses to apex institute for training and create master trainers.
 Organizing regular workshops, symposia, and conference on infection control for
hospital staff.

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NEXT LECTURE
Infection Control Precautions
 Thank you for your
attention, and we'll see
you all safely next week.
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