Editing Infection Control and Safety – RN Flashcards (section)

== PPE, Asepsis, and Exposure ==

;State the donning and doffing sequences.
:Donning: hand hygiene, '''gown, mask or respirator, goggles or face shield, gloves'''. Doffing: '''gloves, goggles or face shield, gown, mask or respirator''', then hand hygiene. Remove all PPE before leaving the room except the '''respirator, which is removed after exiting'''.
;Contrast medical and surgical asepsis.
:'''Medical asepsis (clean technique) reduces''' the number of organisms; '''surgical asepsis (sterile technique) eliminates all organisms including spores'''. Sterile technique is required for surgery, central line and urinary catheter insertion, tracheostomy care, and fresh surgical wound and burn dressings.
;State five rules of a sterile field.
:The outer '''1-inch border''' is contaminated; keep sterile items '''above waist level and in sight'''; never turn your back or reach across the field; '''moisture causes strike-through contamination'''; and open the first wrapper flap away from the body. Never leave a sterile field unattended.
;Priority actions after a needlestick with a hollow-bore device.
:Wash the site with soap and water immediately, '''report to employee health at once''', test source and worker per protocol, and start '''HIV post-exposure prophylaxis as soon as possible, ideally within hours'''. Hepatitis B management depends on vaccine and antibody status; there is '''no prophylaxis for hepatitis C''', so serial testing is used.
;Where does PPE fall in the hierarchy of controls?
:'''Last.''' Elimination, substitution, engineering controls (ventilation, safety-engineered sharps, closed suction), and administrative controls (policy, staffing, vaccination, screening) come before PPE.