Infection Control

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Infection Control
Induction Training
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Welcome
Welcome to this web based information session on
Infection Control. It should take you
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Aims Objectives
By the end of this session you will have
knowledge of
What infections are. High risk groups for
infection Symptoms and routes of
infection. Causes of infection. Hot spots for
infection. Universal precautions against
infection. Legislation and regulations with
regards to infection Control.
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Introduction to Infection Control
Infection Control is an extremely important part
of your Healthcare job role. With all the TV
coverage of MRSA and hospital bugs at the moment,
you are no doubt aware that infections can have
serious consequences. Here are just a few things
that can happen through lack of Infection
Control
People may die from infections Superbugs are
becoming more common People coming from and
going abroad means infections can spread
easily Dealing with infections is costly for the
health service
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What are infections?
Infections can be contracted in a number of ways
and can be classed as
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Contamination Contagious diseases Epidemics
Hospital Acquired Infections Superbugs
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What are infections?
Infections can include Tropical Diseases such as
Malaria or TB, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS), MRSA and C-Dificile.
It is of utmost importance that, if these
infections occur, they are not spread. That means
adhering to stringent Infection Control measures
in your place of work, whether its in a
hospital, Nursing Home or a Service Users home.
Two of the most talked about infections currently
are MRSA and C Difficile. We'll go into a little
more detail on these two types of infections over
the next pages.
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MRSA...
MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus and is a strain of the
Staphylococcus aureus organism which is resistant
to the treatment with commonly used antibiotics.
Resistance is due to the production of a
particular enzyme by Staphylococcus aureus.
MRSA can colonise a person without necessarily
causing infection. It can be found in the nose,
skin folds, hairline, perineum and belly button
and can live there for a long time without
causing harm. A person becomes clinically
infected if the organism invades the skin or
deeper tissues and multiplies to cause a
localised or systemic response, for example in
septicaemia.
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MRSA...
The consequences of developing a serious
infection with MRSA can be severe. Should
infection develop, the range of effective
antibiotics is limited, costly and potentially
toxic. Therefore, it is important to take
precautions to prevent transmission, especially
in patient groups that are susceptible to
infection, such as children or the elderly.
MRSA can be spread from one body part to another
by the person themselves. It can also be spread
from person to person via direct contact or via
contaminated environments or equipment. Depending
on what part of the body is infected, symptoms
can include redness, swelling and tenderness at
the site of infection. However, some may carry
the infection with no symptoms at all.
Image xedos4/freedigitalphotos.net
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Clostridium Difficile...
Clostridium Difficile, also known as C. Difficile
or C.Diff is a spore forming bacterium, which
occurs in 3 of healthy adults' guts. C Difficile
can cause potentially serious diarrhoea and often
affects people of the age of 65 , especially if
taking antibiotics. While babies can carry the
bacteria, it rarely causes them problems. But,
they can still pass the bacteria on to more
vulnerable people. C.difficile spreads between
people who shed spores during bouts of diarrhoea.
The spores can survive for a long time and are
transported on the hands of people with direct
contact with patients or surfaces contaminated
with C.difficile. Because the bacteria form
heat-resistant spores, cleaning with a
non-hygienic cleaner and hot water alone is not
enough to tackle it. Both MRSA and C Diff are
best tackled with the universal precautions
covered later in this module.
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Terminology...
Lets firstly look at some terminology that you
will come across within this training module.
Bodily Fluids - include blood, saliva and body
tissues. Workers who come into contact with these
may be exposed to health risks. Clinical Waste
- is high risk materials such as bodily fluids,
blood, needles. High risk clinical waste must be
disposed of in yellow bags. Infection Control -
Precautions taken to prevent the spread of
infections. Isolation/Barrier Nursing a person
with a high risk infection, which can spread,
being isolated to prevent the spread of
infection.
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High risk groups for infections
Whilst infections can affect all walks of life,
the people that need our services tend to be more
at risk than other people. This is because their
immune system can be adversely affected due to a
condition they may have. Lets have a look at the
groups that are at higher risk from contracting
infections
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Disabled People The Elderly Young children
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Symptoms and routes
The signs and symptoms of infections can include
a high temperature, lack of appetite, swelling of
the groin and armpits as well as pain.
Routes of infection into the body include natural
openings, for example the mouth, unnatural
breaks, for example cuts and scratches and direct
or indirect contact with bodily fluids.
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Symptoms and routes
Sharps injuries Sharps are items that can cause
laceration, puncture of the skin or mucous
membrane and which may have been contaminated by
blood or bodily fluids.
Needlestick injuries can cause bacterial
infections or transmit bloodbourne viruses,
therefore, all needles and sharps must be put in
special yellow sharps bins to avoid this risk.
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Symptoms and routes
Sharps injuries If you incur a sharps injury at
work you should take the following steps
Encourage bleeding by squeezing the wound, but
never suck the wound Wash under running
water Cover with sterile waterproof
dressing Report to your line/branch manager Go
to A E ( do not take the sharp with you, make
sure it is disposed of safely) Complete an
incident report
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Causes of infections
Infections can be caused by a variety of agents,
for example viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc. Lets
have a look at those in more detail. Viruses A
virus is a biological agent that reproduces
inside the cells of living hosts. When infected
by a virus, a host cell is forced to produce many
thousands of identical copies of the original
virus, at an extraordinary rate. Smaller than
bacteria, they only need one or two cells to
start off the process before breaking through the
immune system. Viruses cannot be killed with
antibiotics, however anti viral drugs may be
given to reduce the spread. The main control of
viruses is through immunisation. Examples of
viruses are Mumps, Measles, Chicken pox, Colds
and Flu, HIV.
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Causes of infections
Bacteria Many of us know bacteria only as
germs, invisible creatures that can invade our
bodies and make us sick. While some types of
bacteria can cause diseases and become harmful to
the environment, animals and humans, others offer
benefits that we could not live without. In
human hosts, certain types of bacteria can cause
tetanus, pneumonia, gastro-enteritis,
tuberculosis and other illnesses. As long as the
host is not infected with antibiotic resistant
bacteria, they can be treated with antibiotics,
which kill bacteria or at least hamper their
growth. Antiseptics, sterilization and
disinfectants can help prevent contamination and
risk of infection from bacteria.
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Causes of infections
Fungi (Germs) Warmth, humidity, sweating, and
poor air circulation all help bring about fungal
infections. Fungi appear in a mould or yeast and
are classed as a plant. Fungi affect the skin and
can cause conditions such as ring worm and
athletes foot.
Protozoa These are one-celled animals, classed
as low life. Some protozoans are harmful to man
as they can cause serious diseases such as
malaria and sleep sickness.
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Causes of infections
Prion An infectious agent that is comprised
entirely of a propagated, mis-folded protein and
can cause BSE (mad cow disease) as well as
Creutzfeld Jakob Disease (CJD) in humans.
Parasitic worms or helminths Parasites that
live inside their host, receiving nourishment and
protection while disrupting their hosts' nutrient
absorption, causing weakness and disease. They
can live inside humans as well as
animals. Ectoparasites These parasites exist
outside the body, e.g. lice, flees, scabies and
although they do not cause infections they may
cause infestations.
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Hot spots for infections
Where do you think hot spots for infections can
be found? Click the Show Me button to find out.
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Used laundry Communal areas Kitchen and dining
areas Bathrooms and sluice areas
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Hot spots for infections
Lets have a look at those hot spots in a little
more detail. Used Laundry Used laundry can
harbour bacteria and germs. If used laundry is
not placed in linen bags but left lying around
then bacteria and germs can easily spread. In
Homecare the risk can be high since the washing
of laundry is the responsibility of a service
users family, unlike in Nursing and Residential
Homes where used linen would be taken to the
laundry or sluice areas to be washed. Communal
Areas Communal areas are used by different
service users who may harbour viruses or
bacteria. These can be transferred to seats, door
handles and other surfaces and without regular
cleaning there is a high risk of cross infection.
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Hot spots for infections
Kitchen and Dining areas There is a high risk
that bacteria will multiply if kitchen and dining
areas are not cleaned after meal times. This is
the same for bathrooms and sluice areas, which
must equally be cleaned regularly.
So far we have covered what infections are, high
risk groups for infections, their symptoms and
routes as well as causes of infections and hot
spots for bacteria etc. Lets now have a look at
what Infection Control measures you need to be
familiar with as well as the legislation around
this topic.
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Universal precautions
In the hot spots section we have already looked
at how cleaning plays an important part in the
fight against infection. Weve also looked at the
routes of entry and blocking these will reduce
the spread of infection, whether it be covering
cuts with blue plasters or staying out of the way
of people coughing and sneezing. Lets have a
look at the three universal precautions by
clicking the Show Me button.
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Washing of hands Decontamination process Wearing
of PPE
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Universal precautions
Washing of Hands Washing your hands is the single
most effective way to reduce cross infection.
Jewellery should be removed during the hand
washing process since jewellery can harbour
bacteria. Some bacteria can stay alive on your
hands for several hours and during that time they
can be spread to things that you touch. Washing
your hands with soap and water will provide
sufficient decontamination for most of the care
activities you undertake. Although you may
think it is obvious, lets have a look at the
steps of the hand washing process. Firstly, wet
your hands with warm water and then apply soap
before following the steps on the next page.
Afterwards, rinse and thoroughly dry your hands
with paper towels.
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Universal precautions
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Universal precautions
Washing of Hands No doubt you wash your hands
regularly during your working day, but lets
remind ourselves of the specific times you should
be doing it.

• Before
• Preparing or handling any food
• Assisting with eating drinking
• Making any personal or intimate contact with a
  service user
• Making contact with any service user who has an
  open wound

• After
• Visiting the toilet
• Undertaking cleaning activities
• Handling waste or dustbins
• Changing incontinence pads
• Handling or stroking pets
• Coughing or sneezing
• Contact with any open wound

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Universal precautions
Decontamination process You must ensure that
equipment that is used on clients, either in a
nursing home or a homecare environment, is
cleaned regularly to prevent the spread of
infections. If equipment is not clean then
bacteria and germs will multiply. The
decontamination process also includes dealing
with spillages of bodily fluids, cleaning
commodes, general cleaning, disinfection and
sterilisation.
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Universal precautions
Cleaning This is done with water and mild
detergent and removes spillages but doesnt
necessarily destroy micro-organisms. Disinfection
This reduces the build up of bacteria and can be
achieved through heat and chemicals (using hot
water). All anti-bacterial and disinfectant
solutions must comply with COSHH which we will
cover in more detail later in the module.
Sterilisation Destroys all living
micro-organisms. Heat or chemicals are used for
this in hospitals and high risk environments.
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Universal precautions
Wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) PPE
forms part of the universals precautions which
will help to stop the routes of travel of germs
and bacteria. PPE includes wearing gloves,
aprons, eye protection and face mask, although
the latter two are not often used in a care
setting. Remember you can transfer bacteria on
gloves just as easily as you can with your hands,
therefore, you must dispose of gloves after each
procedure and wash your hands.

• You should remove your PPE in this order
• Gloves
• Apron
• Eye protection
• Face mask

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Legislation Regulations
There are several pieces of legislation that
relate to Infection Control. Can you list any off
the top of your head?
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Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA) The
Management of Health and Safety at Work
Regulations The Public Health (Control of
Diseases) Act 1984 The Food Safety Act 1990
Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous
Occurrence Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995 Control Of
Substances Hazardous to Health 2002 (COSHH)
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Legislation Regulations
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Employers must
ensure, where reasonably practical, the safety of
their staff. Working for Prestige Nursing you
must ensure that you follow the companys
policies and procedures, including wearing of
PPE. The Management of Health and Safety Welfare
Regulations Employers must provide adequate
welfare provision for staff while they are at
work. This would be amenities such as drinking
water and toilets where possible. The Public
Health (Control of Diseases) Act 1984 GP and
hospitals have a duty to report outbreaks of
disease to the Health Protection Agency.
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Legislation Regulations
Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous
Occurrence Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995 Should you
sustain an accident in your place of work or
contract some form of disease through work you
must inform your branch manager as it may be
reportable under RIDDOR. Control Of Substance
Hazards to Health 2002 (COSHH) This regulation
covers such items as cleaning fluids, which may
be hazardous to health. You may use or come
across cleaning fluids in your place of work and
must always ensure that you follow the correct
procedure when using these. Always read the label
and ask for guidance if you are unsure.
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Responsible agencies
As a care worker you have a huge responsibility
when it comes to Infection Control. Through good
hygiene procedures and washing your hands you can
have a real impact on stopping the spread of
infection. The below government agencies also
work hard to reduce infections. Public Health
Service Advises the Government and is
responsible for the surveillance of diseases and
keeping records of all hospital acquired
infections. Additionally it is responsible for
the management of epidemics as well as for
immunisation programmes and carrying out
research.
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Responsible agencies
Environmental Health Services The Environmental
Health Service protects the public by ensuring
that waste disposal is carried out within
legalisations. It is also responsible for
improving living conditions and investigations of
food poisoning.
National Health Service The NHS advises the
government, establishes infection control teams,
provides microbiological laboratories as well as
provides health care training.
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Review
This module has covered information on Infection
Control, including what an infection is, high
risk groups, symptoms and routes of entry, the
causes of infection and hot spots for infection.
The universal precautions for infection control
are washing of hands, decontamination process and
wearing PPE. You must make sure that you follow
Prestige Nursings policies and procedures with
regards to this. Finally, the module covered
legislation and regulations as well as
responsible agencies with regards to infection
control.
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Well done! You have now completed this web based
session on Infection Control Please now
complete the assessment on Infection Control.
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