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Category: Standard Precautions

Topics

Reprocessing of Medical Instruments and Equipment

What Is It? Generally, residential aged care facilities would not use items that require sterilisation for reuse. Disposable single-use equipment and dressing items would generally be used. However, if items need to be sterilised, then a suitable service provider must be sourced by the facility which is able to/must comply with...

Donning and Doffing PPE

Personal protective equipment is a shield that protects both healthcare workers and residents and should be applied and removed in the correct sequence to avoid cross-contamination.  Donning involves putting on the required PPE before resident contact and must be performed in a certain order. Doffing is the process of taking...

Environmental Cleaning

Environmental cleaning is an essential part of standard precautions. Standard precautions are work practices that constitute the first-line approach to infection prevention and control (IPC) in all healthcare settings. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are often preventable through the use of standard precautions and targeted interventions that reduce the risk of the...

Hand Hygiene

What Is It? Hand hygiene is a general term referring to any action of hand cleaning and includes The washing of hands systematically by rubbing all surfaces of lathered hands vigorously with a mild liquid handwash for 10-15 seconds under running water and drying with single-use paper towels or cloths....

Applying Standard Precautions

All Healthcare Workers (clinical and non-clinical) and volunteers must utilise standard precautions whenever contact is anticipated or there is a potential risk of contact with non-intact skin, mucous membranes, and body substances, including blood, faeces, urine, sputum, saliva, and wound drainage. If there are known infectious organisms/pathogens, or a potential...

Hand Care

What Is It? Intact skin is a natural defense against infection, so having cuts and abrasions reduce the effectiveness of hand hygiene practices. Breaks or skin lesions are possible sources of entry for infectious agents and may also be a source of infection.  Important Points To Remember Check your skin...