On December 31, 2019, health authorities in China alerted the World Health Organization of a mysterious illness that was spreading in the Chinese province of Wuhan. The cause of the illness was not known, and at least 44 people were experiencing respiratory symptoms such as cough and difficulty breathing. By January 2020, when the first case was identified in the United States, the entire province of Wuhan had shut down businesses, public transportation, and schools. In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the disease called COVID-19 a pandemic, a widespread or worldwide outbreak of a contagious illness. All too quickly, millions of people became infected, disrupting lives across the globe. You may have wondered how this disease could have spread so quickly and changed our lives so dramatically? You’ve come to the right place – nursing assistants should understand what causes disease and infection and how it spreads. But most importantly, they should understand how to prevent infection from spreading in a healthcare setting.
What will you learn in this unit?
- Identify different types of pathogens and explain how they cause disease
- Define the components of standard precautions, and discuss how standard precautions are used to prevent the spread of infection
- List types of transmission-based precautions and how to apply each type appropriately
- Differentiate cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization and discuss how and when each is performed
- Describe sterile techniques and how to set up a sterile field and apply sterile gloves
