CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

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ESSENTIALS OF CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE
More than a century ago, pioneers such as Hungarian physician Ignaz Phillip
Semmelweis recognized the importance of handwashing. He showed that simple
handwashing could dramatically lower the infection rate. This practice is still
not being conscientiously practiced, even with a requirement for documentation
of the use of both work practice and engineered controls. These two terms refer
basically to manufactured items for protection (engineered controls), and what
one personally does for self-protection (work practice controls).
Many people can be observed going into the restroom and then leaving without
ever washing their hands. In numerous cases, workers, including restaurant
employees, will prepare food or eat their food and shake hands with others
immediately afterward, with never a thought as to the organisms on their hands.
It has been observed that conscientious handwashing will also reduce the incidence
of colds since these infections are most often passed by the hands coming
in contact with dirty surfaces and then with the mucous membranes of the eyes,
nose, and mouth.
Official Agencies Responsible for Policies
Related to Infection Control
Many federal agencies work with state and local governments to foster effective
infection control in medical care, agricultural processes, and manufacture
of products that may release organic or toxic chemicals. There is no doubt that
these organizations are achieving great strides in protecting the health of the
public, as evidenced by an expanding life span in the United States and other
developed countries. Biohazardous materials containing blood and other body
fluids or tissues are the major sources of the spread of infectious diseases.
Some facilities have both an Infection Control Committee and an Exposure
Control Committee, but in many facilities, the two are combined. Therefore,
many facilities will also rank exposure to toxic chemicals as being comparable
in seriousness to exposure to infectious materials, and will call the committee
by the term “Exposure Control,” rather than separating the two entities.
Organizations that work to prevent unnecessary disease due to contact
with infectious materials include, but are not limited to, the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), CDC, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration
(FDA ), Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), and a
host of state and local agencies that are often funded in part by the larger
federal agencies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to a
lesser extent, works to provide safe water and sewage disposal during natural
and man-made disasters, and to contribute to the good health of and prevent
epidemics among the population of the United States. Most often, government
offices and a number of national and international organizations, such as the
American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, work together during disasters.
They help to provide healthful living conditions for those displaced from their
homes or those whose homes have been damaged so as to cause unsafe living
conditions.
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