Infection Control Procedures and Practices

Chapter 4: Infection Control Procedures and Practices

Overview:

• Lists and describes staff-centered procedures
• Lists and explains equipment-orientated procedures
• Describes differing resident-centered procedures

Description:

In residential aged care, the resident is the centre of all care activities. However, in terms of infection control, three distinct components in the chain of infection can be identified as the actions of the staff, management of equipment and procedures required by the residents. This chapter explains these components and also looks at infection control principles in all aspects of resident care so that staff can ensure that the chain of infection is broken.

Topics:

• Staff-centred procedures
  • Hand-washing
  • Protective clothing
• Equipment-oriented procedures
  • Managing sharps; specimens; and spills of biological material
• Resident-centred procedures
  • Enteral feeding
  • Urinary catheters

Kevin J. Kendall
Kevin is an experienced practitioner in infection control. Having originally trained as a general nurse and midwife, Kevin’s involvement in infection control has spanned more than 17 years and his expertise in this field has been sought by hospitals, community health centres, medical practices, extended care facilities and child care centres. He has worked with many health professionals and aged care staff on program assessment, development and review; environmental safety matters; compliance with standards; education and training programs.

Kevin has held executive committee positions on the Victorian Infection Control Nurses Association, the Sterilisation and Research Advisory Council of Australia, the Wound Management Association of Victoria, and the Australian AIDS Nurses Resource Group. He is currently working as an infection prevention team leader for a large public health service in Australia.

Professional Reviews: