Clinical Resources
Clinical Resources
Infection Prevention Zones
Prevent infections in your exam room by knowing where to focus your prevention efforts.
Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are a growing problem for the healthcare industry and a major cause of deaths in the U.S. Protect your patients and staff against infections in your exam rooms with infection prevention products and practices that cover these seven major infection prevention zones.
Table paper • Surface disinfectant wipes • Soap • Hand sanitizer • Sharps containers • Exam gloves • Personal protective equipment
Follow these important infection prevention practices in your exam room:
1 |
Low level barrier protection, such as table paper, should be replaced in between patients. |
2 |
Cleaning and disinfecting non-critical surfaces in patient care areas is part of the Standard Precautions. Medical equipment, instruments and devices must be cleaned and maintained according to manufacturers’ instructions to prevent patient-to-patient transmission of infectious agents. The use of surface disinfectant wipes can help in effectively killing microorganisms on exam room surfaces. |
3 |
Handwashing with soap and water remains a sensible strategy for hand hygiene in both healthcare and non-healthcare settings and is recommended by the CDC and other experts. |
4 |
The CDC recommends the use of alcohol-based hand rubs/sanitizers by healthcare personnel because they address some of the obstacles that healthcare professionals face during patient care. |
5 |
Unsafe injection practices place patients and healthcare providers at risk to transmit bloodborne pathogens, including hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Always dispose of used sharps in an approved sharps container. |
6 |
Exam gloves reduce hand contamination 70-80 percent, helping prevent cross-contamination and protecting patients and healthcare personnel from infection. Gloves should be changed before and after each patient. |
7 |
Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when the nature of the anticipated patient interaction indicates that contact with blood or body fluids may occur. |
