Question

1. the procedure for handling and disposal of waste from patients who are undergoing isolation?
2. procedures for handling patient personal belongings in hospitals in a pandemic era?

Answer 1

Answer:

B.1. Standard Precautions

Standard Precautions (95) are routine IPC precautions that should apply to ALL patients, in ALL health-care settings. The precautions, described in detail below in Sections B.1.1 to B.1.7, are:

hand hygiene;

use of PPE;

respiratory hygiene;

environmental controls (cleaning and disinfection);

waste management;

packing and transporting of patient-care equipment, linen and laundry, and waste from isolation areas;

prevention of needle-stick or sharps injuries.

Rationale

Standard Precautions are the basic IPC precautions in health care. They are intended to minimize spread of infection associated with health care, and to avoid direct contact with patients' blood, body fluids, secretions and, non-intact skin. The SARS outbreak illustrated the critical importance of basic IPC precautions in health-care facilities. Transmission of SARS within health-care facilities was often associated with lack of compliance with Standard Precautions. The threat of emerging respiratory infectious diseases makes the promotion of Standard Precautions more important than ever and it should be a priority in all health-care facilities.

For additional information on Standard Precautions, see:

Practical guidelines for infection control in health care facilities, 2004 (212);

Prevention of hospital-acquired infections: A practical guide, 2002 (213);

Aide-memoire: Infection control Standard Precautions in health care, 2006 (214).

B.1.1. Hand hygiene

Hand hygiene is one of the most important measures to prevent and control spread of disease in health-care facilities, and is a major component of Standard Precautions (215). Although hand hygiene is a simple procedure, numerous studies have shown that compliance is low. Its implementation is complex, requiring continued reinforcement and multidisciplinary team coordination. The use of alcohol-based hand rubs in health-care facilities has been implemented in recent years, in an attempt to increase compliance with hand hygiene. The main points are as follows:

If hands are not visibly soiled, hand hygiene should be done using an alcohol-based hand rub, or by washing hands with soap and water, and drying them using a single-use towel.

If hands are visibly dirty or soiled with blood or other body fluids, or if broken skin might have been exposed to potentially infectious material, hands should be washed thoroughly with soap and water.

Perform hand hygiene:

before and after any direct contact with patients;

immediately after removal of gloves;

before handling an invasive device not requiring a surgical procedure, including central intravascular catheters, urinary catheters or peripheral vascular catheters;

after touching blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions, non-intact skin or contaminated items, even if gloves are worn;

when moving from a contaminated to a clean body site on the same patient;

after contact with inanimate objects in the immediate vicinity of the patient; and

after using the lavatory.

For additional information on hand hygiene, see: