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All the passes for unit 9 also includes merits
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
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Asma InayatUnit 9: Infection Prevention and Control
Learning Aim, A: understand the causes of Infections and Transmission of Infection
Learning Aim: A
Pass (P1) Explain the causes of different infections and the diseases that can result from
them.
Pass (P2) Explain how these diseases can be transmitted and contracted.
Merit (M1) Assess how the transmission and contraction of infectious diseases can be
influenced by different factors.
Distinction (D1) Analyze potential ways in which infections are caused, transmitted and disease is
contracted.
Pass (P1)
Infection occurs when the microorganisms invade and attack certain parts of the whole body by
pathogens, for example bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi. It may or may not have visible symptoms,
as it depends on the host body and the reaction of the infection to it. Infections may damage body
parts such as organs. This may cause illness, tissue damage and disease. Infections may be life-
threatening to some. It is transmissible and contagious. As an HSC worker, the professionals must
deal with several patients and certain patients are more susceptible to infections, for example,
patients with salmonella, HIV, diabetes, chest infections, surgical wounds. Medical devices used in
surgeries, for blood tests, cannulas, blood pressure machine are susceptible to the healthcare
workers, as they use them often and on various patients, so contacting them and the devices can
cause infections to the healthcare, to prevent this they can wear PPE, and decontaminate the
devices, dispose the PPE. It is important for healthcare workers to be aware of the infectious
diseases that can risk their and patients' lives. Because they must meet several patients in a day,
which means that they get directly or indirectly contacted with them. Everybody is susceptible to
infection and has infections in their body in a tiny amount, which is not harmful, but when not
prevented properly such as not using masks and gloves in settings like hospitals, dentists, GP, nursing
homes, own home, care homes and hospices. These settings have several people with patients and
healthcare workers providing care to them and may also contact you and the most common
infection may spread is bacteria. One easy step to prevent this by the healthcare workers and the
service users, is to wear masks and gloves when in contact. There are more ways to prevent
infections that need to be proceeded by healthcare (explained in detail in throughput ahead).
The most vulnerable group to contact infections in healthcare setting are the healthcare workers as
they deal with many patients who may contain infection, the new-borns/premature/elderly/patients
with medical condition and low immune system, as their body are exposed to infection, they may
contact diseases.
Infections may spread through contact (skin, feces), contaminated water and food, inhalation of
droplets and airborne. Strong immune system helps to protect against infectious agents. Infection
control is an important part to stop the spread of infectious diseases for example, COVID-19 spread
(virus), the professionals produced anti-bodies for this virus to stop/minimize the spread of the virus.
It is important in health and social care, as they contact such patients often and may transmit the
infection much more easily. They need to follow the policies and procedures for the health and
safety of both professionals and patients. PPE (personal protective equipment), this is important as
when the doctor protects themselves, then it may decrease the risk of spreading any infection, as
the patient would not visit another patient and would be safe in its own bubble (ward/room), but
the doctors would meet and investigate various patients and may contact each. To protect this
spread within the area, they should follow PPE, sharps objects and waste disposal procedures. PPE
, includes the use of gloves, disposable aprons, masks. This would reduce the risk of infection while
providing care to the service user. These assets should be disposed of after each use and wear new
PPE for every patient. Sharps objects such as needles, the professionals should try to use them
themselves rather than passing through different hands, they should not re-use the same needle and
should be disposed the exact moment after use. Waste disposal such as dressings, disposable
aprons, and gloves should be thrown into the right certain labelled containers/bags which would
keep all the waste products in one place and then disposed. This would help to reduce the spread of
the germs contained. If these procedures were not followed by the professionals while providing
care to service user, then it can lead to the employee (professionals) prosecution and would be
under inculpate for not following the health and safety procedures even if it did not cause any
patient/service user, for example, a nurse went to serve a patient who has cancer without a gloves
and mask. This may not affect the patient in high risk, but these PPE was supposed to be followed for
the safety as the nurse may have come in contact with a patient who had infection, even if the nurse
washed her hands but for the safety of the patient, she should have worn it so it does not transmit.
For this negligence she could have been dismissed or banned if any serious illness or incident may
have caused.
These safety procedures are important to be followed by the practitioners in the HSC system,
because it will reduce the spread and risk of getting other individuals infected. If not followed, then
they may risk their and the patient's life. If not followed correctly, then the healthcare environment
would be a very unsafe place to visit and get treated. As those areas are one of the main places
where any individual may get the transmission of the infection. Infections control is important as it
may also lead to death ratings around the world, as the host may travel and spread it onto places it
has contacted. These procedures may be conducted in schools, courts, and restaurants.
Infection is caused through the agents of infections, for example bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites
are the different types of pathogens. Which can cause through when contact with a person, touching
a cut, burn, flu several times. These are the places there the germs remain.
Types of infection:
Systematic infection
Systematic infection is found in the bloodstream and affects the entire body for e.g., rheumatoid
arthritis. It occurs when the infection is caused by the pathogen and has spread around the body, for
example, digestive and respiratory/circulatory systems. This is a contagious infection that can be
passed to another person through contact, for example, HIV. Diseases associated with systematic
infection are cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, bacterial pneumonia and sarcoidosis disease
affects the organs and tissue such as lungs, brain, joints, and eyes. Physical contact with such
disease cause the infection to a non-infected individual easily. lo term potential implications of
cardiovascular disease are that if it not treated quickly/in an emergency, it may also effect on
individuals' life in future, they may build symptoms that may affect them and have difficulty in
maintaining good health after the surgery/or before. Symptoms such as swelling, dizziness,
weakness, vomiting, stomach-ache, back pain and chest pain. These symptoms can cause difficulties
in handling self-life independently as it affects individuals’ day-to-day basis tasks. The typical stress
for individuals with heart disease knows that they will have long term condition after the surgery or
while having heart disease, the long-term affects these individuals may experience are stroke and
heart attack. If this is not treated on time, it can also kill the individual because the brain cells may
die or increase/decrease to an amount that might put the individual into coma for long period of
time. The medications may also be involved in the treatment, as if either wrong or not taken
properly on time for longer time
Localized infection
Localized infections affect only one part/organ of the body, for example, urinary bladder. It happens
when the infection is restricted to one specific part of or in the body such as an infected wound.
localized infections are not contagious as they only affect the person. Diseases associated with this
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