Induction Training
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Infection Control
Induction Training
Welcome…
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Welcome to this web based information session on Infection Control. It
should take you approximately 10 minutes to complete this material.
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Aims & Objectives…
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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…
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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?
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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?
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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 it’s in a hospital,
Nursing Home or a Service User’s 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...
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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...
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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.
Induction Training Image: xedos4/freedigitalphotos.net
Clostridium Difficile...
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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...
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Let’s 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…
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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. Let’s 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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Infections can be caused by a variety of agents, for example
viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc. Let’s 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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Let’s 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 user’s 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…
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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. Let’s 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…
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In the hot spots section we have already looked at how cleaning
plays an important part in the fight against infection. We’ve 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. Let’s
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…
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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, let’s 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…
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Washing of Hands
No doubt you wash your hands regularly during your working day,
but let’s remind ourselves of the specific times you should be doing
it.
Before After
• Preparing or handling any food • Visiting the toilet
• Assisting with eating & drinking • Undertaking cleaning activities
• Making any personal or intimate • Handling waste or dustbins
contact with a service user • Changing incontinence pads
• Making contact with any service • Handling or stroking pets
user who has an open wound • Coughing or sneezing
• Contact with any open wound
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Universal precautions…
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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…
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Cleaning
This is done with water and mild detergent and removes spillages
but doesn’t 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…
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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:
1. Gloves
2. Apron
3. Eye protection
4. Face mask
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Legislation & Regulations…
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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…
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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 company’s 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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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 Nursing’s 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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