Policy Manual sample

MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. MINIMIZE OPPORTUNITY FOR TRANSMISSION OF PATHOGENS TO PATIENTS AND HEALTHCARE WORKERS. (cleaning and sterilization or disinfection of instruments) Our field staff should learn and follow scientifically accepted infection prevention techniques appropriate to their profession for the cleaning and sterilization or disinfection of instruments, devices, materials, and work surfaces, utilization of protective garb, use of covers for contamination-prone equipment, and the handling of sharp instruments. Goals: Limiting unprotected exposure to pathogens, thus reducing healthcare associated infection rates, committed to providing a safe and healthful work environment for our entire staff, increase the HBV vaccine rate, increase our educational effort to educate our staff about the importance of the use of protective personal equipment and be in compliance with our Infection Control program. To reach the goals we encourage to use protective techniques that include but are not limited to the following: Wearing of appropriate protective gloves at all times when touching blood, saliva, other body fluids or secretions, mucous membranes, nonintact skin, blood-soiled items or bodily fluid, soiled items, contaminated surfaces, and sterile body areas, and during instrument cleaning and decontamination procedures; Discarding gloves used following treatment of a patient and changing to new gloves if torn or damaged during treatment of a patient and washing hands prior to performing services for another patient; and washing hands and other skin surfaces immediately if contaminated with blood or other body fluids; Wearing of appropriate masks, gowns or aprons, and protective eyewear or chin-length plastic face shields whenever splashing or spattering of blood or other body fluids is likely to occur. Sterilizing equipment and devices that enter the patient's vascular system or other normally sterile areas of the body; Sterilizing equipment and devices that touch intact mucous membranes but do not penetrate the patient's body, or using high-level disinfection for equipment and devices that cannot be sterilized prior to use for a patient; Using appropriate agents, including but not limited to detergents for cleaning all equipment and devices prior to sterilization or disinfection; Cleaning, by use of appropriate agents, including but not limited to detergents, equipment and devices that do not touch the patient or that only touch the intact skin of the patient. Adequately monitoring the performance of all personnel, licensed or unlicensed, for whom the licensee is responsible regarding infection control techniques; trough inservices explain the importance of vaccination programs including HBV. Placing disposable used syringes, needles, scalpel blades, and other sharp instruments in appropriate puncture-resistant containers for disposal; Refraining from all direct patient care and handling of patient care equipment when the healthcare professional has exudative lesions or weeping dermatitis and the condition has not been medically evaluated and determined to be safe, or capable of being safely protected against, in providing direct patient care or in handling patient care equipment; Maintaining appropriate ventilation devices to minimize the need for emergency mouth-to- mouth resuscitation; use of CPR shell. Placing all specimens of blood and body fluids in well-constructed containers with secure lids to prevent leaking; and cleaning any spill of blood or other body fluid with an appropriate Home Health Agency Nursing Care & Procedures K-93