Standard Precautions – Patient Safety (Nursing)

00:01 Welcome back, everyone.

00:02 In our daily duties as a nurse, we may encounter situations where we need to protect ourselves during routine procedures.

00:09 An effective way to do this is through standard precautions.

00:13 Standard precautions are meant to reduce the risk of transmission of bloodborne and other pathogens from both recognized and unrecognized sources.

00:22 Hand hygiene. How do you do it? First, soap and water if hands are visibly soiled.

00:29 If your hands are not visibly soiled, then alcohol gel is preferred method.

00:34 When do you perform hand hygiene? Before and after contact with a client, immediately after touching blood, body fluids, non-intact skin, mucous membranes, or contaminated items even when gloves are worn during contact.

00:51 Immediately after removing gloves.

00:54 When moving from contaminated body sites to clean body sites during client care.

01:00 After touching objects and medical equipment in the immediate client-care vicinity.

01:05 And before eating, after using the restroom, and after coughing or sneezing into a tissue as part of respiratory hygiene.

01:13 Use a personal protective equipment or PPE.

01:16 The use of gloves: When touching blood, body fluids, non-intact skin, mucous membranes, and contaminated items.

01:25 Also, during activities involving vascular access such as performing phlebotomies.

01:31 Wearing surgical masks, goggles, and face shields.

01:34 When there's a reasonable chance that a splash or spray of blood or body fluids may occur to the eyes, mouth, or nose.

01:42 And gown.

01:43 When skin or clothing is likely to be exposed to blood or body fluids.

01:48 Remove PPE immediately after use and wash your hands.

01:52 It's important to remove PPE in the proper order to prevent contamination of skin or clothing.

01:58 Use biohazard bag when PPE or other disposable items are saturated with blood or body fluids, such that the fluid may be poured, squeezed, or dripped from the item.

02:09 PPE that is not saturated may be placed directly into the trash.

02:14 Let's talk a little bit about needle stick and sharps injury prevention.

02:18 Be sure to activate safety devices on needles and other sharps immediately after use.

02:24 Discard used needles immediately after use and don't recap.

02:28 Bend, cut, remove from the syringe or tube holder or otherwise manipulate.

02:33 Place any used needles, lancets, or other contaminated sharps in a leak-proof, puncture-resistant sharps container is either red in color or labeled with a biohazard label.

02:45 Do not overfill sharps containers and discard them after they're about two-thirds full, or when the contents are at the full line indicated on the container.

02:54 Take used sharps containers to a collection facility, such as an area pharmacy, hospital, or clinic that provides that service.

03:03 Now let's talk about respiratory hygiene or coughing etiquette.

03:07 Cover the nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing or using the crook of your elbow to contain respiratory droplets.

03:15 Use tissues to contain respiratory secretions and discard in the nearest waste receptacle after use.

03:21 Perform hand hygiene immediately after contact with respiratory secretions and contaminated objects or materials.

03:28 As clients with signs and symptoms of respiratory illness to wear a surgical mask while waiting in common areas or placing them immediately in examination rooms or areas away from others.

03:40 Provide tissues and no touch receptacles for use tissue disposal.

03:44 provide supplies, such as tissues, waste baskets, alcohol, gel, and surgical masks, and waiting rooms and other common areas in local public health agencies.

03:55 Now, let's talk about safe injection practices.

03:58 Use a new needle or syringe every time a medication vial or IV bag is accessed.

04:04 Use a new needle or syringe with each injection of a client.

04:09 Use medication vials for one client only whenever possible.

04:14 Waste disposal: Ensure saved waste management.

04:18 Treat waste contaminated with blood, body fluids, secretions and excretions as clinical waste in accordance with local regulations.

04:28 Treat human tissues and laboratory waste that is directly associated with specimen processing as clinical waste.

04:35 Discard single-use items appropriately And remember, provision of adequate staff and supplies together with leadership and education of health workers, patients, and visitors, is critical for an enhanced safety climate in healthcare settings.

04:50 So what do we learn today? Standard precautions are the basic level of infection control precautions which are to be used at a minimum in the care of all patients.

05:00 Hand hygiene is a major component of standard precautions and one of the most effective methods to prevent the transmission of pathogens associated with healthcare.

05:10 And, finally, in addition to hand hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment should be guided by risk assessment and the extent of contact anticipated with blood and body fluids or pathogens.

05:23 So I hope you've enjoyed the today's video standard precautions Thanks so much for watching.