N104: Essentials of Nursing Care - Health Safety

N104: Essentials of Nursing Care – Health Safety Study Guide or other discharges from the body suggest an increased potential for extensive contamination and risk of transmission. A single-patient room is preferred for patients who require contact precautions. Healthcare personnel caring for patients on contact precautions must wear a gown and gloves for all the interactions that may involve contact with potentially contaminated areas in the patient’s environment. All healthcare personnel and visitors must don PPE upon room entry and discard the coverings before exiting the patient room. This is done to contain pathogens, especially those that have been implicated in transmission through environmental contamination. • Droplet: Droplet precautions are intended to prevent transmission of pathogens spread through close respiratory or mucous membrane contact with respiratory secretions. A single patient room is preferred for patients who require droplet precautions. Healthcare personnel should wear a mask (a respirator is not necessary) for close contact with the infectious patient; the mask is generally donned upon room entry. Patients on droplet precautions, who must be transported outside of the room should wear a mask, if tolerated, and follow good respiratory hygiene. • Airborne: Airborne precautions prevent transmission of infectious agents that remain infectious over long distances when suspended in the air. The preferred placement for patients who require airborne precautions is in an airborne infection isolation room (AIIR), a single- patient room that is equipped with special ventilation capacity. Healthcare personnel caring for patients on airborne precautions should wear a mask or respirator, depending on the disease-specific recommendations. This mask should be donned prior to room entry. Whenever possible, non-immune healthcare workers should not care for patients with vaccine-preventable airborne diseases (e.g., measles, chickenpox, and smallpox). Cleaning and Disinfection Cleaning and disinfection must be done to remove dirt and debris and to reduce pathogens. Cleaning is the physical act of removing dirt; disinfection is the chemical process that reduces the number of pathogens in an environment. When a chemical is used on a person to kill microorganisms it is called an antiseptic. Any item that will come into contact with a patient’s mucous membranes must be free of all potential pathogens. Surgical Asepsis Surgical asepsis is commonly referred to as “sterile technique” and includes measures to keep the environment free of all pathogens. It also refers to the process of preventing the introduction of pathogens into the patient’s body. There are three commonly recognized techniques associated with surgical asepsis. Sterile Gloves Sterile gloves are used for any treatment or procedure that requires contact with the broken skin. Using sterile gloves will prevent wound or surgical site contamination. Before donning sterile gloves, the nurse should first be certain to wash her hands. • Gloves are cuffed to make it easier to put them on without contaminating them. When putting on sterile gloves, remember that the first glove should be picked up by the cuff only. The second glove should then be touched only by the other sterile glove.

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