health care

1. Control The Spread of
Microbes
Faculty of Nursing
Patient Care Technician Program
MODULE 3
CHAPTER 6 page 63 to 65

2. Course Learning Objectives
By the end of this lecture, the attendance must be able to:
List measures to control the spread of microbes that can
cause infection.
 Apply standard precautions and transmission-based
precautions

4. Using Personal Protective Equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is used to prevent
microbes from contaminating your uniform, skin or mucous
membranes.
Properly using PPE eliminates a portal of entry for
potential pathogens, and helps to keep you safe from
infection.
 PPE includes gloves, gowns, masks and eyewear.
 PPE is usually put on outside of the person’s room, and
removed and discarded inside the person’s room.

5. Using Personal Protective Equipment
When it is necessary to put on multiple types of PPE, items
are put on in the following order: gown, mask, protective
eyewear, gloves.
When it is necessary to remove the PPE, the order is as
follows: gloves, protective eyewear, gown, mask.
Removing PPE in the proper order helps to protect you from
contaminating yourself or your uniform.

6. Employer role
Your employer also has responsibility for keeping you safe from
blood borne pathogens on the job by making sure you have the
equipment and training you need to lower your risk.
Standards that employers must follow to keep their employees
safe from occupational exposures to blood borne pathogens are
outlined in the Blood borne Pathogens Standard issued by the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 2001

7. Guidelines for the proper use of PPE

9. Gloves
 Disposable gloves are typically made of vinyl, nitrile or latex.
These gloves are meant to be worn once and then discarded.
Gloves should fit properly, and be free of rips or tears.
Gloves are worn whenever there is a possibility that you will come in
contact with a person’s blood or body fluids.
 For example, you wear gloves when you provide mouth care, perineal
care or care for someone who has a draining wound or open sores on the
skin.
You also wear gloves when there is a break in the skin on your own
hands.
You may need to change gloves several times during one procedure to
avoid contaminating clean surfaces by touching them with dirty gloves.
Always wash your hands after removing your gloves and before putting
on a new pair.

10. Gloves
Some people are allergic to latex, a material commonly
used to make disposable gloves.
If you or the person you are caring for develops skin
redness, a rash, hives, itching, a runny nose, sneezing, itchy
eyes, a scratchy throat or difficulty breathing while you are
providing care using latex gloves, wash the area in contact
with the gloves immediately, and notify the nurse.
In the future, you will need to use disposable gloves made of
vinyl or nitrile when providing care.

12. Gowns
A gown is worn to protect your clothes and body
from splashes and sprays of blood and body fluids.
The gown must completely cover you from your
neck to your knees.
A gown is worn only once and then is placed in a
laundry hamper (if it is made of fabric) or thrown
away (if it is made of paper).
 Because a damp or wet gown will not protect you,
you must change your gown if it becomes wet.

13. Masks
 A mask covers your nose and mouth to protect you
from inhaling pathogens into your lungs.
You may also wear a mask when it is important to
protect the person from pathogens you may exhale.
The mask should fit snugly over your nose and
mouth. Use a mask only once.
 Change your mask if it becomes moist, because
moisture reduces the effectiveness of the mask.

14. Masks
There are two types of masks you may use. A surgical
(face) mask is most commonly used.
These masks are effective for providing a barrier that
large droplets cannot pass through.
When a person is known to have a disease that is caused
by very small droplets suspended in the air (called
aerosols) a high-efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA)
mask must be worn.
HEPA masks must be specifically fitted to the person
who will be wearing them. These masks actively filter
the air to prevent aerosols from passing through.

15. Protective eyewear
• Wear protective eyewear, such as goggles or a face
shield, to keep body fluids from splashing into your
eyes when cleaning items or disposing of fluids.
Protective eyewear may be reusable or disposable.

16. Taking Isolation Precautions
Isolation precautions are actions taken to isolate
pathogens to prevent them from spreading throughout
the facility.
Isolation precautions are based on the pathogen’s
method of transmission.
The goal of these precautions is to contain the pathogen
and limit others’ exposure to it as much as possible.
There are two major types of isolation precautions:
standard precautions and transmission-based
precautions

17. Standard precautions
Standard precautions (sometimes called universal
precautions) are precautions that health care
workers take with every person to protect themselves
and others from pathogens that are transmitted in
body fluids.
You must practice standard precautions whenever
you come into contact with body fluids, such as when
assisting with a medical procedure or when providing
personal care—even if you think the person in your
care is not infected.

19. Thank You!