What You Need To Know About Universal Precautions Training In Health Care - 5 Things

Blood borne pathogens can be spread via different routes and sources. Universal precautions training will safeguard you against these known sources as well as some of the unknown sources. Universal precautions include certain easy precautionary steps that you need to take to protect yourself and others from communicable diseases such as Hepatitis B and HIV.

Universal precautions are very simple and effectual ways to stop transmission of the bacteria and virus that cause infectious disease. Various protective clothing should be worn all the time by all health care professionals. Special measures need to be taken by the individuals working with blood and other body fluids.

There are 5 basic things you need to know about Universal Precautions training:

• If you are able to curb the spread of blood borne pathogens then the transmission of infectious diseases can be prevented. The Occupational Safety and Health Information (OSHA) gives guidelines that should be followed by all healthcare and hospital employees who deal with blood and other body fluids.

• Every healthcare facility and other organization will need to assess all the activities that involve their employees handling blood and other body fluids in order to determine the risks related with them. This will enable the organizations to take proper precautions based on the various activities performed.

• All health care facilities need to provide a safe environment for their employees. High standards of hygiene need to be maintained throughout the facility. Simple measures like hand washing prior to and after activities should be followed strictly. Implementation of these simple guidelines will serve to provide the safe environment a healthcare organization needs.

• Depending on the risks involved in the different activities, protective gear need to be chosen by the individual. Aprons, face masks, caps, gloves, face shields and eye shields are the protective equipments that are used. Regular checks need to be made to see if the protective gear is damaged. If so, they need to be replaced at once.

• The specific areas where activities relating to blood and body fluid handling are performed require cleaning and washing regularly. All the surfaces and instruments need to be washed with disinfectant. Spread of infection can be avoided by doing this.

All health care employees should be provided proper training about universal precautions guidelines. This will prevent them and others from being susceptible to any infectious disease. Equipments that are reused need to be sterilized after use. In case of single use equipments strict measures should be followed to discard them properly. This can be done by following by practicing the precautions laid down by OSHA.

Various controls have to be implemented to ensure safety at the work place. Simple universal precautions need to be followed while attending all the patients. This will guarantee safety to both the patients and the employees. When proper precautions are not followed various communicable diseases will spread. If the guidelines stipulated by OSHA are followed strictly, the chances of spread of infections will be greatly reduced.