infection control
in-FEK-shun kun-TROHL noun Spanish control de infecciones
The policies and practices used in health care to prevent the spread of infection.
- Spanish
- control de infecciones
- Also written
- infection-control
What it means
Everything a health care setting does to stop germs passing between clients, staff and visitors: hand hygiene, standard precautionsSTAN-derd prih-KAW-shunzThe basic infection-control practices used with every client, whether or not an infection is known.Full entry , isolation precautionseye-suh-LAY-shun prih-KAW-shunzExtra infection-control measures, added to standard precautions, for clients known or thought to have certain contagious infections.Full entry , aseptic technique, cleaning and sterilizing equipment, safe handling of sharps and waste, vaccinating staff and tracking infections. Hospitals have an infection control team that watches for outbreaks and healthcare-associated infectionHELTH-kair uh-SOH-see-ay-tid in-FEK-shunAn infection a client gets while receiving health care that was not present or incubating when care began.Full entry .
For the nurse
Hand hygiene is the single most important way to prevent infection. Clean hands before and after every client contact.
Words that go with it
Read these next: they turn up in the same notes, orders and questions.
HAND HY-jeenCleaning the hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
medical asepsisMED-ih-kul ay-SEP-sisClean technique: practices that lower the number of germs and stop them spreading from one person or object to another.
healthcare-associated infectionHELTH-kair uh-SOH-see-ay-tid in-FEK-shunAn infection a client gets while receiving health care that was not present or incubating when care began.
isolation precautionseye-suh-LAY-shun prih-KAW-shunzExtra infection-control measures, added to standard precautions, for clients known or thought to have certain contagious infections.
standard precautionsSTAN-derd prih-KAW-shunzThe basic infection-control practices used with every client, whether or not an infection is known.
A client’s heart rate is 128 beats per minute an hour after surgery. Which finding is the most likely cause of the tachycardia?
tak-ih-KAR-dee-uhA heart rate faster than normal; in an adult, more than 100 beats per minute.
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