Infection control flashcards
Study the cards, then practice on the patient.
Twenty flashcards on infection control: hand hygiene, PPE, isolation precautions and sharps safety.
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20 cards
- When should you clean your hands in patient care?
- Before touching a patient, before clean or sterile tasks, after body fluid exposure, after patient contact and after removing gloves.
- Default hand hygiene method when hands are not visibly dirty?
- Alcohol-based hand rub.
- How long do you rub alcohol hand rub?
- Until hands are dry, about 20 seconds, covering all surfaces.
- When must you use soap and water instead of hand rub?
- Visibly dirty hands, C. difficile or norovirus care, before eating and after using the restroom.
- Why is alcohol rub not enough for C. difficile?
- Alcohol does not kill its spores; washing removes them physically.
- Standard precautions apply to which patients?
- Every patient, every time, whatever their known infection status.
- Order for putting on PPE (CDC)?
- Gown, mask or respirator, eye protection, then gloves.
- Order for taking off PPE (CDC)?
- Gloves, eye protection, gown, then mask or respirator, with hand hygiene after.
- Contact precautions: PPE on room entry?
- Gown and gloves.
- Preferred skin antiseptic before central line insertion?
- Chlorhexidine with alcohol, allowed to dry fully.
- Droplet precautions: PPE on room entry?
- A surgical mask, plus standard precautions.
- Common infection placed on droplet precautions?
- Influenza; others include pertussis and meningococcal disease.
- Airborne precautions: room and mask needed?
- A negative pressure isolation room and a fit-tested N95 respirator.
- Classic airborne diseases?
- Tuberculosis, measles and chickenpox.
- N95 positive pressure seal check: what should happen?
- On a gentle exhale the mask bulges slightly with no air leaking at the edges.
- First step after a needlestick injury?
- Wash the site with soap and water, then report it right away.
- Best timing to start HIV post-exposure prophylaxis?
- As soon as possible, ideally within 2 hours and no later than 72 hours.
- What should you never do with a used needle?
- Recap it with two hands; put it straight into a sharps container.
- When should a sharps container be replaced?
- When it reaches the fill line, about three quarters full.
- Key way to prevent catheter-associated urinary infection?
- Avoid unneeded catheters and remove them as soon as they are no longer needed.