Summary:
Part 1 in this series focuses on the first two of six elements that make up this course. These elements are 1) professional responsibility; 2) modes and mechanisms of transmission of pathogenic organisms; 3) engineering and work practice controls; 4) selection and use of barriers and/or personal protective equipment; 5) infection control principles and practices for cleaning, disinfection and sterilization; and 6) prevention and control of infectious and communicable diseases in healthcare workers. Part 2 discusses the hierarchy and application of preventive strategies, including engineering controls, work practice controls, barriers and personal protective equipment. Part 3 focuses on how to maintain a safe environment through disinfection and sterilization techniques and to prevent the spread of infectious and communicable diseases.
Objectives:
The goal of this three-part program is to update healthcare professionals’ ability to apply scientifically accepted infection control principles to reduce transmission of pathogens. After you study the information presented here, you will be able to –
- Recognize the benefits of adhering to standards of infection control and describe the healthcare professional’s responsibility to adhere to these practices and the consequences of failing to comply.
- Recognize the healthcare professional’s responsibility to monitor infection control practices of those for whom he or she is responsible and intervene as necessary.
- Describe how pathogenic organisms may be spread in healthcare settings, identify those factors influencing the outcome of exposure, list strategies for preventing transmission of pathogenic organisms, and describe their application in practice.
- Define engineering controls and work practice controls and identify a hierarchy of exposure prevention strategies.
- Describe specific practices and settings that raise exposure potential to healthcare workers and patients, and identify work practice controls that prevent exposure.
- Recognize the circumstances that require the use of personal protective equipment and identify these specific barriers.
- Identify the healthcare professional’s responsibility for maintaining a safe patient care environment and recognize nonspecific disease findings that prompt evaluation by healthcare providers.
- Recognize the role of occupational health strategies in protecting healthcare providers and patients and recognize the importance of the correct application of reprocessing methods.
- List specific occupational health strategies in preventing HIV, hepatitis B virus, and tuberculosis (TB) in healthcare providers and identify resources for evaluation of healthcare workers infected with these conditions.
Approval Information
This CE course is approved for respiratory therapists from 1/10/2012 to 1/10/2014.
This program has been approved for 3 contact hours of Continuing Respiratory Care Education (CRCE) credit by the American Association for Respiratory Care, 9425 N. MacArthur Blvd., Suite 100, Irving, TX 75063. AARC Sponsor ID: 9514012. This is a non-traditional course.
If you are a respiratory therapist, remember to give us your AARC member number when filling out your license number information.
Gannett Education is also approved by the Florida Board of Respiratory Care (provider #FBN 50-1489).