for the patient’s comfort. Artificial light should bestrong enough to prevent eyestrain and diffuse enoughto prevent glare. Whenever possible, provide a bedlamp for the patient. As discussed earlier under“Safety Aspect,” a dim light is valuable as a comfortand safety measure at night. This light should besituated so it will not shine in the patient’s eyes and yetprovide sufficient light along the floor so that allobstructions can be seen. A night light may help orientelderly patients if they are confused as to theirsurroundings upon awakening.In conclusion, it is important that you understandthe effects of the environment on patients. People aremore sensitive to excessive stimuli in the environmentwhen they are ill, and they often become irritable andunable to cooperate in their care because of theseexcesses. This is particularly apparent in critical careareas (e.g., in CCUs and ICUs) and isolation, terminal,and geriatric units. You must realize and respond to thevital importance of the environment in the totalmedical management plan of your patients.PATHOGENIC ORGANISM CONTROLLEARNING OBJECTIVE: Recall medicalasepsis principles and recognize medicalasepsis practices.All health care, regardless of who provides it orwhere it is provided, must be directed towardmaintaining, promoting, and restoring health. Becauseof this goal, all persons seeking assistance in ahealthcare facility must be protected from additionalinjury, disease, or infection. Adherence to good safetyprinciples and practices protects a patient frompersonal injury. Additionally, attention to personal andenvironmental hygiene not only protects againstfurther injury, but also constitutes the first step incontrolling the presence, growth, and spread ofpathogenic organisms. The discussion that followsaddresses infection control, particularly in the contextof medical and surgical aseptic practices.MEDICAL ASEPSISMedical asepsis is the term used to describe thosepractices used to prevent the transfer of pathogenicorganisms from person to person, place to place, orperson to place. Medical aseptic practices areroutinely used in direct patient care areas, as well as inother service areas in the healthcare environment, tointerrupt a chain of events necessary for thecontinuation of an infectious process. Thecomponents of this chain of events consist of theelements defined below.Infectious AgentAn infectious agent is an organism that is capableof producing an infection or infectious disease.Reservoir of Infectious AgentsA reservoir of infectious agents is the carrier onwhich the infectious agent primarily depends forsurvival. The agent lives, multiplies, and reproducesso that it can be transferred to a susceptible host.Reservoirs of infectious agents could be man, animal,plants, or soil. Man himself is the most frequentreservoir of infectious agents pathogenic to man.PORTAL OF EXIT.—The portal of exit is theavenue by which the infectious agent leaves itsreservoir. When the reservoir is man, these avenuesinclude various body systems (such as respiratory,intestinal, and genitourinary tracts) and open lesions.MODE OF TRANSMISSION.—The mode oftransmission is the mechanism by which the infectiousagent is transmitted from its reservoir to a susceptiblebeing (host). Air, water, food, dust, dirt, insects,inanimate objects, and other persons are examples ofmodes of transmission.PORTAL OF ENTRY.—The portal of entry is theavenue by which the infectious agent enters thesusceptible host. In man, these portals correspond tothe exit route avenues, including the respiratory andgastrointestinal tracts, through a break in the skin, orby direct infection of the mucous membrane.SUSCEPTIBLE HOST.—The susceptible hostis man or another living organism that affords aninfectious agent nourishment or protection to surviveand multiply.Removal or control of any one component in theabove chain of events will control the infectiousprocess.Two Basic Medical Asepsis PracticesThe two basic medical asepsis practices that areabsolutely essential in preventing and controlling thespread of infection and transmittable diseases are2-29
Integrated Publishing, Inc. - A (SDVOSB) Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business