Question

Explain the relationship between the chain and transmission of infection and the conditions that promote the transmission of the healthcare associated infections.

Answer 1

Relationship between chain and transmission of infection

Understanding the chain of infection can help health care professionals develop and implement policies and procedures aimed to reducing risk of infection transmission. Properly performing the cleaning and d decontamination in health care facilities is essential in the prevention of transmission of disease from one person to another.

Healthcare associated infections or HAI formally termed as nosocomial infection are those infections that the patient acquire after hospital admission and were not developing at the time of admission to the health care facility

Six main factors make up the chain of infection:

1. The etiologic agent,

2. Reservoir,

3. The portal of exit,

4. The mode of transmission,

5. The portal of entry

6. Susceptible host

All six of these factors are vitally important and must be must to present an infection to take place.

1. Etiologic agent such as bacterium, virus, fungus or other microorganism. The infectious agent must be present and pathogenic (capable of causing disease) and in infectious dose (minimum number needed to cause of disease)
2. Presence of reservoir or source that will allow the microbes to survive. Frequent reservoirs include supplies and equipment (ex: suction jar oxygen humidifier jar ventilator tubes) uses in the patient care as well food and drink, linen and other innominate objects. Patient themselves play significant role in the infection transmission.
3. Port of exit which is the source that allows pathogen to emerge. These portals of exit include the respiratory tract. Blood vascular system, skin and mucous membranes, as wells gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. Contact with patient care supplies and equipment and instruments will most likely result in potential contamination and possibly of disease transfer.
4. The chief mode of disease transfer in the contact transmission, either through the direct or indirect contact with patient or droplet spread via contact with respiratory secretions. Direct contact transmission involves person to person spreading such as improperly cleaned and disinfected devices or contact with the unwashed hands of the health care provider
5. Portal of entry, or how the pathogens gain entry into the body. The portal of entry is very similar to the portals of exit

Susceptible host, someone who doesn’t have effective resistances to the pathogenic agent they are exposed to. Most transmission requires some breach of the skin integerity