Infection Control Policy - Solution is Just a Click Away

Question: Explain the reasons for an effective infection control policy and discuss whether the current method of cleansing and sterilization should be favored over the use of disposable instruments? Answer: There has been high risk of numerous contagious diseases due to several reasons such lack of awareness, inefficient health care systems and inefficient health practices (Signore, 2013). Due to this, health care systems are required to adopt advance treatment facilities for patients and also control the spread of pathogens by reducing the use of antibiotics and implementing new multidisciplinary programs to enhance hygiene practices. This increasing prevalence of various kinds of contagious diseases has made it mandatory to put an effective infection control policy at place. Hence, there is increasing need to outline infection control policy at workplaces, households and other places. By definition, infection control policy refers to as a policy which mentions about measures that can be adopted to control the infections (Kayser, 2005). Infection control policy generally consists of Rationale, Purpose, Procedure and Precautions to be taken. There are various reasons due to which infect ion control policy is important. For instance, an employee suffering from contagious disease when enters the workplace can put other employees and workers at risk. Hence, this situation can lead to drastic consequences and can hamper the productivity and health of the employees (King and Cooke, 2001). In such as scenario, infection control policy in every environment will have different contents depending upon the risk assessment. Infection control policy is highly crucial due to following reasons: To determine the hazards at workplaces, households and other places that can put people potentially at risk. To determine who are at potential risk and how and when this risk can be minimised. To evaluate the risk and determine the measures depending on the risk level. For instance, if risk level is high then highly professional measures are required to cope with the circumstances. To record the findings of the risk assessment and communicate them to all the concerned persons. To review the assessment and update it frequently. Besides this, industry experts have realised that sterilisation and cleansing are important methods to prevent infection. By definition, sterilisation refers to as the process of removing microorganisms and pathogens from an object or surface in order to prevent infectious diseases. Alternatively, cleansing refers to the process of cleaning an object or surface before using it to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. In medical, many instruments that if left un-cleaned can result in spread of diseases. Hence, sterilising and cleaning them is very crucial (Reddy, 2012). In case, the objects or surfaces are not cleansed or sterilised, these usually interfere with microbial inactivation. It is believed that current method of cleansing and sterilisation should be favoured over the use of disposable instruments since if objects are not sterilised, microorganisms develop on the surface of the instruments making them to vulnerable to spread diseases. It prevents the build-up of harmful bacteria on the surface of the object and doesnt let it grow. At households also, sterilisation and cleansing should be given utmost importance. In nutshell, it can be said that cleansing and sterilisation can be effectively used over disposable instruments. References Kayser, H. (2005). Medical microbiology. Stuttgart: Georg Thieme Verlag. p. 398. King, T. and Cooke, R. (2001). Developing an infection control policy for anaesthetic equipment.Journal of Hospital Infection, 47(4), pp.257-261. Mehtar, S., Marais, F. and Aucamp, M. (2011). From Policy to Practice - Education in Infection Prevention and Control.International Journal of Infection Control, 7(2). Moroz, V. and Ward, L. (2006). Infection Control Liaisons, Partners in CARES: Infection Prevention Control.American Journal of Infection Control, 34(5), p.E85. Reddy, M. (2012). Does this patient have an infection of a chronic wound?. JAMA. Seavey, R. (2013). Immediate use steam sterilization: Moving beyond current policy.American Journal of Infection Control, 41(5), pp.S46-S48. Signore, A. (2013). "About inflammation and infection". EJNMMI Research 8 (3).