Bloodborne Pathogens And Standard Precautions Test

WIN - (immediately) wash exposed area with soap and water, identify source of exposure, notify your supervisor

Through mother-to-child transmission, unprotected sex, and sharing drug needles

- Human immunodeficiency virus - Hepatitis C virus - Hepatitis B virus

Use of alcohol rubs for routine hand hygiene

Has a needle-stick injury Healthy, intact skin is the best natural defense against bloodborne pathogens. Even a simply hangnail or a rash can be an entry point for pathogens.

Your employer will identify and document the source patient if permitted under state and local law.

Healthcare workers should not eat, drink, smoke cigarettes, or apply makeup in areas where contamination could occur.

Saliva, semen, vaginal secretions, pleural fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, amniotic fluid, peritoneal fluid, pericardial fluid, any fluid that is contaminated with blood, and any fluid that is not easily identifiable

HBV & HCV both infect the liver and can cause long-term liver damage. Up to 85% of those infected with HCV become chronic carreirs, remaining infectious to other people. Approximately 5% of patients infected with HBV in adulthood will develop a chronic infection. CAN BE LIFE THREATENING

Fatigue, loss of appetite, mild fever, aching muscles or joints, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, yellowed skin and jaundice, dark urine, light color stools, and itching

Flu-like symptoms, swollen lymph nodes, visual changes, diarrhea, night sweats, unexplained weight loss, rash, fatigue, shortness of breath, and frequent pneumonias

Many patients infected with HBV, HCV, or HIV do not have obvious symptoms. While these patients may have no idea that they are infected, they can still spread the disease, and may transmit the disease to others without even knowing it.

Amount of exposure, route of exposure, and amount of virus in the infectious material Note: A needlestick injury is more likely to lead to infection than a blood splash.

HBV Hep B immune globulin alone or in combination with the vaccine can effectively prevent HBV infection after exposure. Healthcare workers who have been vaccinated and developed immunity are not at risk for infection. To be effective, tx for HBV should begin within 24 hrs and no later than 7 days after exposure.

Unfortunately, there is no recommended preventative therapy against HCV, which is why preventative strategies and best practices are imperative to protect the health of hospital workers.

To be effective, tx should begin within hours, as opposed to days after exposure

Universal precautions (set of infection-control practices that focus on bloodborne pathogens) + body substance isolation (set of infection-control practices that focus on moist body substances = standard precautions

Fecal incontinence, respiratory illness, localized shingles, and HIV infection *Regardless of whether there is visible blood, standard precautions also apply to all body fluids, secretions, and excretions. The ONLY EXCEPTION is sweat.

- Respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette for staff, patients, and visitors, e.g. SARS outbreak - Safe injection practices, e.g. big HBV and HCV outbreak due to workers not using aseptic techniques to prepare and administer medications - Use of a mask when inserting a central venous catheter or performing a lumbar puncture

Free lab testing, free medical evaluation, and medication to help prevent infection