Working Directly with Patients
In addition to reading all of the information in the Student/Learner Orientation section, students/learners working directly with patients must also read the following information and linked documents before beginning their placement:
Infection Prevention and Control
Principles of Infection prevention and control are an integral component of the safe care provided to patients by Capital Health’s many employees, students/learners, volunteers and physicians. These principles focus on the prevention and control of health care associated infections. These infections may include blood stream infections, surgical site infections, antibiotic resistant organisms, or pneumonia for example.
Health care associated infections may cause unnecessary pain and suffering for patients as they recover from an illness or surgery. Some patients die from infection acquired in the heath care setting. These infections also have an impact on the health care system. They increase the workload for staff and add significant costs to the health care system in supplies, medications, laboratory costs and increased lengths of stay.
Infection Prevention and Control principles are focused on breaking the Chain of Infection. Every disease-causing microorganism has a specific route, or routes of spread.
Modes of transmission include:
- Contact (direct and indirect)
- Droplet, airborne
- Common vehicle (i.e. medication vial)
- Vector-borne (insect)
Routine Practices and Additional Precautions are aimed at breaking the chain of infection and preventing transmission. Types of additional precautions include, contact precautions and droplet precautions and airborne precautions. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is based on a Point of Care Risk Assessment and the type of additional precautions the patient is on.
Consistent hand hygiene is vital to prevent health care associated infections. It is the most effective and single most important measure in preventing the spread of microbes and infections in health care settings. Please remember the Your 4 Moments of Hand Hygiene during any patient encounter. Alcohol based hand sanitizer is a fast and easy way to clean your hands. If your hands are visibly soiled or wet, wash hands with soap and water. Capital Health also has a policy IC 06-015 Fingernails regarding artificial nails.
Visit Infection Prevention and Control for more information and practices. To speak to an Infection Control Practitioner please contact 902-473-2659.