Infection Prevention and control

Infection Prevention and Control Procedures

Routine precautions and these prevention and control procedures apply to all wound types.

Hand Washing

Wash hands with soap and water for at least 10 seconds.
Alternatively, use an antiseptic, waterless hand-rub product before and after any
contact with the patient, after touching the wound or wound drainage, and after
removing gloves.

Aseptic
Technique

Aseptic technique is the purposeful prevention of germ transfer.
􀂃 Follow sound principles for ensuring that germs are not transferred from
one person to another.
􀂃 Use aseptic technique during dressing changes, wound irrigation, and
debridement procedures to avoid introducing contamination into the wound.
􀂃 Use aseptic technique for all acute wounds, surgical wounds, and infected
wounds.
􀂃 Use aseptic technique for all wound care in acute care.
􀂃 Wear sterile gloves when your hands will touch the wound.

(Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, 2001)
(Crow & Thompson, 2001

Clean Technique

Clean technique involves strategies to reduce the number of micro-organisms
and to prevent or reduce the risk of transmitting them from one person to another
and from one place to another.
􀂃 Clean technique is the accepted practice in residential care facilities and in
the community.
􀂃 Clean technique is the accepted practice for chronic wounds.
􀂃 Use no-touch dressing technique, clean gloves for touching the wound, and
clean supplies.
􀂃 Use sterile normal saline, sterile water, boiled tap water, and homemade
normal saline or recommended wound cleanser.
􀂃 Individual is allowed to shower or bathe, depending on the clinical
situation.


Wound Cleansing
Agents

• Before using any wound cleansing agent, inspect it for an expiry date,
evidence of damage to the bottle, leaking, foreign material, mould, or
fungus.
• Handle the wound cleansing agent in a manner to avoid contamination of
the fluid itself, the inside of the bottleneck, and the inside of the cap.
• Containers of sterile normal saline, provided that they are not contaminated,
may be re-sealed and labelled with a 24-hour expiry time (Association for
Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, 2001).
• Never “decant” or “top up” wound cleansing solutions from bulk containers
into smaller ones.
• Use wound cleansing agents according to the manufacturer’s directions.
• When cleansing a wound with a spray product, hold the container 6 to
8 inches from the wound bed to prevent contamination of the bottle and its
contents.
• Following use, discard the unused contents of single-use, non-resealable
containers of normal saline.

Dressing, Pastes,
and Gels

• Label opened dressings, pastes, and gels for a single patient’s use, and store
them in a clean area between uses. Practice may vary between acute care
and community care.
• Handle outer packaging and containers of pastes and gels with clean hands.
• Take care not to contaminate the contents of the packages or containers.
• Follow the manufacturer’s written recommendations for shelf life and
storage conditions.

Waste Disposal
• Contain all used dressings and disposable supplies in leak-proof plastic bags
and place them in general waste.
• If the dressing is saturated to the point of dripping, treat that dressing as
biomedical waste and follow established procedure.
• Dispose of irrigation solution and wound drainage by carefully pouring
them into a suitable receptacle (avoid splashing).
• Dispose of silver nitrate solution in a sealed container.
• At the point of use, place all used disposable sharp instruments (e.g.,
needles, lancets, scalpel blades, broken or easily broken glass items) in
a puncture-resistant, impervious (leak-proof) container for disposal.
• Avoid stockpiling supplies/equipment at patients’ bedsides or in their
homes.
• Do not remove unused supplies taken into the patient’s environment
(e.g., home) to take them back to the health care facility.
(Canadian Standards Association, 2001)

Personal
Protective
Equipment

􀂃 Wash hands and wear gloves for all contact with the wound or wound
drainage.
􀂃 All caregivers should wear cover gowns or aprons, masks, and
eye protection or full-face shields when splash or spray from wound
drainage is anticipated.
􀂃 These measures will assist to prevent the transmission of infection to the
caregivers and to other patients.

Antibiotic
Resistant
Organisms (ARO)

􀂃 Notify Infection Prevention and Control personnel in the health care facility
or home care program if the individual is known to be colonized or infected
with a significant antibiotic resistant organism—e.g., methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus
(VRE), or extended spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL).
􀂃 When the patient is transferred, notify Infection Prevention and Control
personnel in the receiving health care facility or home care program in
advance of the time of transfer. If isolation is required, follow established
VIHA procedures.

FROM
Wound and Skin Care Clinical Guidelines
June 2006

مع حبي ................ضماد مجروح