Word parts
What it means
There are two kinds. Medical asepsis, or clean technique, lowers the number of germs and stops their spread: hand hygieneHAND HY-jeenCleaning the hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.Full entry , clean gloves and cleaning surfaces. Surgical asepsis, or sterile technique, keeps an area free of all microorganisms; it is used for surgery, inserting a urinary catheter and other procedures that enter sterile parts of the body.
For the nurse
In sterile technique, sterile touches only sterile. Keep a sterile field in sight and above waist level, and if you are not sure whether something is still sterile, treat it as contaminated and start again.
At a glance
| Spanish | asepsia |
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Related terms
a-
A word beginning that means without, not or absence of; written an- before a vowel.
sepsis
A severe whole-body response to an infection that damages the body's own organs.
pathogen
A germ, such as a bacterium, virus, fungus or parasite, that can cause disease.
hand hygiene
Cleaning the hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.