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org or or ext. College Blog In the spirit of transparency, we encourage open debate and constructive criticism. Five Steps to Minimize the Risk of Infection Jul 15, Show oldest on top Show newest on top.

PHO has five IPAC Regional Support Offices that you can call or email if you have any questions related to IPAC best practice and how to apply it in your setting. The contact info for your local office is on the PHO website above.

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Clean litter boxes frequently and keep small children away from animal feces. If you are pregnant or immunocompromised, have someone else take care of the litter box—cat feces are often the source of toxoplasmosis and cytomegalovirus CMV. Wild animals also pose risks, including rabies , bird flu , and flea- or tick-borne illness like Lyme disease.

To better prevent these, make your home unfriendly to rodents by eliminating areas where they could hide or build nests. Use animal-proof trash cans to avoid attracting wildlife, and teach small children that wild animals should never be approached or touched.

Hospital-acquired infections, known as nosocomial infections, are a significant cause of illness and death in the United States and around the world. Because they house people with numerous diseases and infections, hospitals can become breeding grounds for infections, including hard-to-treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA.

These preventive practices should extend to outpatient facilities as well, particularly if you may be immunosuppressed. This includes chemotherapy infusion centers where you get treatment for cancer and dialysis centers treatment center for help removing waste products and fluids from your blood to aid your kidneys.

Another way to prevent infection is to live a lifestyle that keeps you healthy: Eat a healthy diet, get routine exercise, and engage in stress reduction. With this in place, your immune system may be better able to defend against some mild community-spread infections.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About emerging infectious diseases journal. National Health Service United Kingdom. How long do bacteria and viruses live outside the body?

Kwok YLA, Gralton J, McLaws M-L. Face touching: a frequent habit that has implications for hand hygiene. Am J Infect Control. When and how to wash your hands. Kraay ANM, Hayashi MAL, Hernandez-ceron N, et al. Fomite-mediated transmission as a sufficient pathway: a comparative analysis across three viral pathogens.

BMC Infect Dis. Stephens B, Azimi P, Thoemmes M, Heidarinejad M, Allen J, Gilbert J. Microbial exchange via fomites and implications for human health. Curr Pollution Rep. Coughing and sneezing. Understanding how vaccines work. Your guide to masks. Stuempfig ND, Seroy J. Viral gastroenteritis.

In: StatPearls [Internet]. Foodborne germs and illnesses. Food and Drug Administration. Science and our food supply. In: Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide. People with a higher risk of food poisoning.

Traveler's health: food and water safety. Current outbreak list. Smith DS. Travel medicine and vaccines for HIV-infected travelers. Top Antivir Med. How you can prevent sexually transmitted diseases. Xiong WM, Xu QP, Li X, Xiao RD, Cai L, He F. The association between human papillomavirus infection and lung cancer: a system review and meta-analysis.

Interim guidance for clinicians considering the use of preexposure prophylaxis for the prevention of HIV infection in heterosexually active adults.

Jaan A, Rajnik M. TORCH complex. Haque M, Sartelli M, Mckimm J, Abu bakar M. Health care-associated infections - an overview. Infect Drug Resist. Pakyz AL, Wang H, Ozcan YA, Edmond MB, Vogus TJ. Leapfrog hospital safety score, magnet designation, and healthcare-associated infections in United States hospitals.

J Patient Safety. Rosenberg K, Todd B. The effects of private rooms on hospital-associated infections. AJN, Am J Nursing. Song X, Vossebein L, Zille A. It is also recommended that people with CF who do not live together avoid activities that put them in close physical contact with others with CF, including:.

People with CF who live together can get germs from each other. To decrease the spread of germs, they should limit contact with each other's mucous membranes, sputum, or phlegm. When a person coughs, germs can spread 6 feet or more.

Doing airway clearance at different times and in different rooms can help decrease the spread of germs.

Skip to main content. How Can You Reduce the Risk of Cross-infection? Summary People with CF are at particular risk of spreading certain germs among others with the disease, known as cross-infection.

In addition, clean and disinfect with an Environmental Protection Agency EPA -registered hospital disinfectant with intermediate-level i.

Because these items vary by manufacturer and their ability to be sterilized or high-level disinfected also vary, refer to manufacturer instructions for reprocessing. Cleaning to remove debris and organic contamination from instruments should always occur before disinfection or sterilization.

If blood, saliva, and other contamination are not removed, these materials can shield microorganisms and potentially compromise the disinfection or sterilization process. Automated cleaning equipment e. After cleaning, dried instruments should be inspected, wrapped, packaged, or placed into container systems before heat sterilization.

Packages should be labeled to show the sterilizer used, the cycle or load number, the date of sterilization, and, if applicable, the expiration date.

The ability of a sterilizer to reach conditions necessary to achieve sterilization should be monitored using a combination of biological, mechanical, and chemical indicators.

Biological indicators, or spore tests, are the most accepted method for monitoring the sterilization process because they assess the sterilization process directly by killing known highly resistant microorganisms e. A spore test should be used at least weekly to monitor sterilizers.

However, because spore tests are only performed periodically e. Mechanical and chemical indicators do not guarantee sterilization; however, they help detect procedural errors and equipment malfunctions. Mechanical monitoring involves checking the sterilizer gauges, computer displays, or printouts; and documenting the sterilization pressure, temperature, and exposure time in your sterilization records.

Since these parameters can be observed during the sterilization cycle, this might be the first indication of a problem. Chemical monitoring uses sensitive chemicals that change color when exposed to high temperatures or combinations of time and temperature.

Examples include chemical indicator tapes, strips or tabs, and special markings on packaging materials. Chemical monitoring results are obtained immediately following the sterilization cycle and therefore can provide more timely information about the sterilization cycle than a spore test.

A chemical indicator should be used inside every package to verify that the sterilizing agent e. If the internal chemical indicator is not visible from the outside of the package, an external indicator should also be used.

External indicators can be inspected immediately when removing packages from the sterilizer. If the appropriate color change did not occur, do not use the instruments. Chemical indicators also help to differentiate between processed and unprocessed items, eliminating the possibility of using instruments that have not been sterilized.

Note: A single-parameter internal chemical indicator provides information regarding only one sterilization parameter e. Sterilization monitoring e. Maintaining accurate records ensures cycle parameters have been met and establishes accountability.

In addition, if there is a problem with a sterilizer e. Ideally, sterile instruments and supplies should be stored in covered or closed cabinets. Wrapped packages of sterilized instruments should be inspected before opening and use to ensure the packaging material has not been compromised e.

The contents of any compromised packs should be reprocessed i. Recommendations for the cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of dental equipment can be found in the Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings— [PDF — 1. Recommendations for the cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of medical equipment are available in the Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities [PDF — 1 MB] available at: www.

pdf [PDF — 1 MB]. pdf [PDF — KB]. Policies and procedures for routine cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces should be included as part of the infection prevention plan.

Cleaning removes large numbers of microorganisms from surfaces and should always precede disinfection. Disinfection is generally a less lethal process of microbial inactivation compared with sterilization that eliminates virtually all recognized pathogenic microorganisms but not necessarily all microbial forms e.

Emphasis for cleaning and disinfection should be placed on surfaces that are most likely to become contaminated with pathogens, including clinical contact surfaces e. When these surfaces are touched, microorganisms can be transferred to other surfaces, instruments or to the nose, mouth, or eyes of DHCP or patients.

Although hand hygiene is the key to minimizing the spread of microorganisms, clinical contact surfaces should be barrier protected or cleaned and disinfected between patients. Disinfectant products should not be used as cleaners unless the label indicates the product is suitable for such use.

DHCP should follow manufacturer recommendations for use of products selected for cleaning and disinfection e. Facility policies and procedures should also address prompt and appropriate cleaning and decontamination of spills of blood or other potentially infectious materials.

Housekeeping surfaces, e. Additional guidance for the cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces—including for cleaning blood or body substance spills—is available in the Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities [PDF — 1 MB] and the Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities [PDF — 1 MB].

Use surface barriers to protect clinical contact surfaces, particularly those that are difficult to clean e. Clean and disinfect clinical contact surfaces that are not barrier-protected with an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant after each patient. Use an intermediate-level disinfectant i.

Skip directly to site content Skip directly to search. Español Other Languages. Standard Precautions. Minus Related Pages. Standard Precautions include — Hand hygiene. Use of personal protective equipment e. Sharps safety engineering and work practice controls. Safe injection practices i.

Sterile instruments and devices. Clean and disinfected environmental surfaces. Hand Hygiene Hand hygiene is the most important measure to prevent the spread of infections among patients and DHCP. Key HAND HYGIENE for Dental Settings. Perform hand hygiene— a. When hands are visibly soiled.

Before and after treating each patient. Before putting on gloves and again immediately after removing gloves. Use soap and water when hands are visibly soiled e.

Footnote 1 Definition from CDC Dental Guidelines—Oral surgical procedures involve the incision, excision, or reflection of tissue that exposes the normally sterile areas of the oral cavity. Personal Protective Equipment Personal protective equipment PPE refers to wearable equipment that is designed to protect DHCP from exposure to or contact with infectious agents.

Examples of appropriate use of PPE for adherence to Standard Precautions include— Use of gloves in situations involving possible contact with blood or body fluids, mucous membranes, non-intact skin e. Use of protective clothing to protect skin and clothing during procedures or activities where contact with blood or body fluids is anticipated.

Use of mouth, nose, and eye protection during procedures that are likely to generate splashes or sprays of blood or other body fluids. Training should also stress preventing further spread of contamination while wearing PPE by: Keeping hands away from face. Limiting surfaces touched. Removing PPE when leaving work areas.

Performing hand hygiene. Provide sufficient and appropriate PPE and ensure it is accessible to DHCP. Educate all DHCP on proper selection and use of PPE. Wear gloves whenever there is potential for contact with blood, body fluids, mucous membranes, non-intact skin or contaminated equipment.

Do not wear the same pair of gloves for the care of more than one patient. Do not wash gloves. Gloves cannot be reused. Perform hand hygiene immediately after removing gloves. Wear protective clothing that covers skin and personal clothing during procedures or activities where contact with blood, saliva, or OPIM is anticipated.

Wear mouth, nose, and eye protection during procedures that are likely to generate splashes or spattering of blood or other body fluids. Remove PPE before leaving the work area. Implement measures to contain respiratory secretions in patients and accompanying individuals who have signs and symptoms of a respiratory infection, beginning at point of entry to the facility and continuing throughout the visit.

Post signs at entrances with instructions to patients with symptoms of respiratory infection to— i. Use and dispose of tissues. Provide tissues and no-touch receptacles for disposal of tissues. Provide resources for performing hand hygiene in or near waiting areas.

Educate DHCP on the importance of infection prevention measures to contain respiratory secretions to prevent the spread of respiratory pathogens when examining and caring for patients with signs and symptoms of a respiratory infection.

Sharps Safety Most percutaneous injuries e. Key Recommendations for SHARPS SAFETY in Dental Settings. Consider sharp items e. Do not recap used needles by using both hands or any other technique that involves directing the point of a needle toward any part of the body.

Use either a one-handed scoop technique or a mechanical device designed for holding the needle cap when recapping needles e. Place used disposable syringes and needles, scalpel blades, and other sharp items in appropriate puncture-resistant containers located as close as possible to the area where the items are used.

Safe Injection Practices Safe injection practices are intended to prevent transmission of infectious diseases between one patient and another, or between a patient and DHCP during preparation and administration of parenteral e.

Key Recommendations for SAFE INJECTION PRACTICES in Dental Settings. Prepare injections using aseptic technique2 in a clean area. Disinfect the rubber septum on a medication vial with alcohol before piercing. Medication containers single and multidose vials, ampules, and bags are entered with a new needle and new syringe, even when obtaining additional doses for the same patient.

Use single-dose vials for parenteral medications when possible. Do not use single-dose single-use medication vials, ampules, and bags or bottles of intravenous solution for more than one patient.

Do not combine the leftover contents of single-use vials for later use. The following apply if multidose vials are used— a. Dedicate multidose vials to a single patient whenever possible.

Do not use fluid infusion or administration sets e. Footnotes 2 A technique that prevents or reduces the spread of microorganisms from one site to another, such as from patient to DHCP, from patient to operatory surfaces, or from one operatory surface to another.

Sterilization and Disinfection of Patient-Care Items and Devices Instrument processing requires multiple steps using specialized equipment.

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Do you know what steps to take if you have a patient with an open wound? What if the wound is weeping or has a strange odour? What if the patient has an infection or antibiotic-resistant organism?

Physiotherapists are expected to identify and minimize any risks caused by infections or the use of equipment in their practice, as outlined in the Infection Control and Equipment Maintenance Standard.

Check out these five steps to identify and minimize the risk of infection. Assess the risk - to determine how to keep you, the patient and others safe from transmission of infection. Conduct a visual scan of the wound and gather information from the patient b.

Consider the risk of transmission for the patient, yourself and others. Hand Hygiene Use an alcohol-based hand rub if hands are not visibly soiled , or soap and water if hands are visibly soiled. Learn more about hand hygiene from Public Health Ontario. Personal Protective Equipment PPE PPE includes things like gloves, gowns, and facial protection.

Wear gloves if your hands will be in contact with mucous membranes, non-intact skin, tissue, blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions, or equipment and environmental surfaces contaminated with the above.

Learn more about PPE use. Additional Precautions include the use of barriers, PPE and control of the environment, and are specific to the risk and mode of transmission contact, droplet, airborne, combination.

In some instances, specialized engineering controls may be required e. difficile, vancomycin-resistant enterococci - VRE. The application of Additional Precautions may differ depending on the health care setting and the needs of the patient, particularly in long-term care and the community.

Public Health Ontario has a Routine Practice and Additional Precautions Best Practices Document that will help. Control the Environment Placement of Signs, Cleaning of Surfaces and Equipment, Designing the Environment Routine cleaning practices are acceptable in most cases unless the patient has an antibiotic resistant organism.

Routine practices also include changing linens between patients and having a process to safely handle soiled linens, waste and sharps to prevent exposure and transmission to others. Go to the Best Practices for Environmental Cleaning in All Health Care Settings , available on the PHO website. Have Policies and Procedures and Administrative Controls Policies and Procedures, Staff Education, Healthy Workplace Policies, Respiratory Etiquette, Monitoring of Compliance with Feedback Make sure staff are aware of infection prevention and control procedures in the workplace, that there is adequate training and there are policies in place to ensure best practices for infection prevention and control.

Go to the Experts for Advice and to Stay Up to Date Public Health Ontario PHO and the Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee PIDAC are you source for information about Infection Prevention and Control.

Check out PHO's infection prevention and control checklists for clinical office practice settings:.