Question

 Chapter 9: Medical Asepsis

 1. Explain the difference between medical and surgical asepsis.

 2. Identify nursing care measures intended to break the chain of infection.

 3. What are factors that influence nursing compliance with hand hygiene?

 4. How should the nurse determine which form of hand hygiene to use (antiseptic hand rub vs. handwashing)?

 5. Explain standard precautions Tier 1 and Tier 2.

Answer 1

1. Medical asepsis is performed to minimize the total count and spread of microorganisms with in the settings while
Surgical asepsis is a whole procedure to eliminate and ensure complete germ free environment as well as their spores from the surface of any object.

2. To break the chain of infection, the best nursing care measure can be a good and healthy hand hygiene along with the use of gloves for. N 95 mask provide a better cover against airbourne infection and other droplets. Isolation and proper decontamination of the whole facility and its equipments can help significantly in breaking the chain of infection.

3. The factors that influence nursing compliance with hand hygiene are irresponsible or lazy behavior, lack of habit, perception the using gloves reduces the need of other things like hand wash, lack of training & experience, excess workload and lack of knowledge about the importance of hand hygiene in controling infection.

4. Hand washing is performed with a soap and water when the hands are visibly soiled with dirt, blood or other body fluids while an antiseptic hand rub is performed in every clinical and medical situations right from taking any body samples to administring medication as it is considered to be more effective at killing germs on hands and requires less time as compared to hand wash.

5. In every healthcare setting, there are certain minimum precautions that are mandatory to be taken by all the healthcare personals regardless of whether patient suspected or confirmed with infection. These precautions include hand hygiene, safety protocols while administring medication or injection, use of gloves, gowns, face mask, use of Sterile instruments and a few more.

The two tiers approach is as follows -

Tier 1 - Standard precautions that are designed for all the patients to prevent the transmission through blood or body fluid

Tier 2 - Known as transmission based precautions is performed in addition to standard precaution when there is a higher risk of droplet, airbourne or contact transmission when the patient is reported or suspected of being infected.