CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

CHAPTER 6: INTRODUCTION TO INFECTION CONTROL 129
A B C
FIGURE 6-6 (A–C) Work practice controls.
Source: Delmar/Cengage Learning.
to the prevention of unnecessary contraction of disease or exposure to toxic
materials that may harm the health care worker, the patient, or coworkers.
Exposure Training and Immunization for
Prevention of Infection
The sequence of events to prevent or minimize exposure, prevent or treat the
effects of exposure, and treat following exposure, is categorized using three different
labels. The three types of activities are preexposure, actual exposure, and
postexposure treatment and actions. To be exposed to toxins and biohazards
does not absolutely indicate that the person exposed will suffer any ill effects
from the incident. There are many exposures daily in health care facilities, but
only a small fraction of these persons are affected adversely because of a number
of factors that play a role in protecting the individual. A healthy lifestyle leading
to a healthy and disease-free body, preventive medicine, and intact skin help substantially
in preventing any harm from most types of exposures. It is easier and
safer to use work practice and engineering controls along with common-sense
precautions to prevent contraction of an infectious disease, rather than later having
to treat a medical condition. Repetitive training and practice should cause
the health care professional to always practice safety, as eventually this awareness
of the need for practicing self-protection will become a part of the affective
domain and will be done without thinking.
Preexposure
Immunization, when vaccine exists to protect against certain organisms, along
with training to enable health care workers to avoid becoming infected, are the
most effective ways to avoid becoming infected. In a number of institutional and
government policies, this type of training is mandatory on a regular basis. Safety
Committee and Infection Control Committee activities to prevent infection can
also be lumped under the preexposure category. The cliché, “Prevention is the
best cure,” is the best way in which to approach any kind of infection.
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