The professional caregiver autonomously and independently applies relevant (legal and employer specific) hygiene procedures and guidelines regarding asepsis, sterility, physical safety within hygiene, and the handling of medical equipment and contaminated waste. | The professional caregiver is able to: - apply general rules of personal hygiene (e.g. hand wash, body wash),
- maintain principles of disinfection (e.g. use different disinfectants and cleansing agents for different applications, consider disinfecting times, use proper concentrations of disinfectants),
- keep the patient’s/client’s environment clean and tidy and perform area disinfections (e.g. carry out regular hygiene measures),
- determine necessary exposure times and range of application of disinfectants from manufacturer’s data,
- carry out hygienic hand washing at the right time (e.g. use appropriate washing lotion, cold/lukewarm water, rinse hands properly, dry fingernails, at the beginning and at the end of the shift),
- use suitable skin-care products (e.g. lipid-degreasing),
- use self-protective measures appropriately when dealing with disinfectants (e.g. suitable gloves, protection goggles),
- carry out hygienic hand disinfection and follow the operating time of the disinfectant (e.g. disinfect the entire hand),
- use disinfectant utensils correctly (e.g. do not immerse mops again in the solution, wash mops used for disinfecting, disinfect containers for disinfecting solutions and dry them before re-use),
- identify and appropriately disinfect areas in need of regular disinfection (e.g. door handles, keyboards, bedside tables, toilets, bath tubes, plaster saws, areas for preparing medications, monitors, medical devices, after contamination, disinfectant dispenser for hand disinfection),
- prepare instrument disinfecting tubes, clean instruments, disinfect and dry them according to the time of exposure (e.g. using compressed air to dry them),
- separate waste and choose appropriate containers according to organisational protocol (e.g. waste containers for peak waste, recyclable waste, B-waste, C-waste),
- use protective clothing appropriately (e.g. one-way gowns, gloves, mouth guards),
- carry out work according to the hygiene guidelines,
- choose, change and dispose of the appropriate bed linen and hospital clothing while respecting the aseptic needs of patients/clients,
- instruct others in hygienic behaviour and monitor them (e.g. include visitors and relatives in protective clothing and hand disinfectants),
- document cleaning and hygiene measures properly (see also CA.A.2).
| The professional caregiver is able to: - describe the basic principles of hygienic behaviour (e.g. personal hygiene),
- describe principles of the epidemiology of infections (e.g. sources, reservoirs, pathways, methods of infection control),
- name differences between cleaning and disinfection (e.g. for cleaning – remove visible contamination and germ reduction by 10-90%, for disinfection – killing or deactivating pathogens and germ reduction by 99.99%),
- name objectives of disinfectant measures and the transmission pathways of infections (e.g. objectives – avoidance and interruption of infections, transmission – direct such as smear and contact infections and droplet infections, and indirect such as transfers via work surfaces, floors, toilets, door handles and handrails),
- name the scope and principles of application of different disinfectants (e.g. hands disinfectants, surface disinfections, instrument disinfections, exposure times, complete wetting of the disinfecting material),
- describe the danger of under-dosing and over-dosing of disinfectants and the preparation of solutions (e.g. for under/overdosing – lack of performance during under-dosing, formation of lubrication films during over-dosing, for preparation – 0.5% solution, 1.5% solution using cold or lukewarm water),
- name occasions of hand washing (e.g. beginning and end of work, visible soiling, after use of the toilet),
- name areas in need of regular disinfection (e.g. door handles, keyboards, bedside tables, toilets, bath tubes, plaster saws, areas for preparing medications, monitors, medical devices, after contamination, disinfectant dispenser for hand disinfection),
- name preconditions for hand disinfection (e.g. healthy skin, clean hands, short fingernails, no artificial fingernails and jewellery),
- describe the technique of hand washing (e.g. the palm of the hand on the palm of the hand, the palm of the hand over the back of the hand, insert the closed fingertips in the other palm, rub both thumbs and heel of hands),
- name the World Health Organisation rules and general rules in accordance with the timing for hand disinfection (e.g. before and after contact with patients/clients, before aseptic activities, after contact with infectious material, after contact with the patient’s/client’s environment, before putting on gloves, after removal of gloves, before contact with food, after contact with critical food such as meat, fish and eggs, after cleansing and dirty work),
- name the reasons for and different forms of surface disinfection (e.g. reduction of the transmission of pathogens as a prophylaxis, removal of visible contaminations, final disinfection),
- justify the use of appropriate self-protective measures (e.g. personal safety, maintaining their own eyesight),
- name different types of waste (e.g. recyclable waste, medical waste, waste that must satisfy special requirements from the point of infection prevention),
- explain the use of protective clothing (e.g. turning the one-way gown and gloves inside out when removing),
- explain the term nosocomial infections.
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