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Category: Standard Precautions

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Safe Handling of Sharps

What Is It? The classification of sharps includes needles, scalpels, razor blades, stitch cutters, broken glass, auto lancets, IV cannula stilettes, and IV giving set spikes. Sharps injuries can occur in any healthcare setting, including home healthcare and long-term care facilities. Injuries most often occur During the use of a sharp...

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...

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...

Respiratory Hygiene (Cough Etiquette)

What Is It? To prevent the transmission of all respiratory infections in healthcare settings, infection control measures should be implemented at the first point of contact with a potentially infected person. Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette should be applied as standard infection control precautions at all times. Covering sneezes and...