Infection Control and Safety terms

50 glossary entries from the Infection Control and Safety topic of the CCMA test plan. Try free Infection Control and Safety practice questions.

• active immunityImmunity produced by a person's own immune system after infection or vaccination.
• airborne precautionsA fit-tested N95 or higher respirator and an airborne infection isolation room for diseases such as tuberculosis…
• airborne transmissionSpread of pathogens in tiny particles or droplet nuclei that stay suspended in the air.
• antibodyA protein made by the immune system that targets a specific antigen; also called an immunoglobulin.
• antigenA substance the immune system recognizes as foreign, which can trigger antibody production.
• bloodborne pathogensMicroorganisms in human blood that can cause disease, such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus and HIV.
• chain of infectionThe six linked steps needed for an infection to spread: infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of…
• contact precautionsGown and gloves for patients with infections spread by touch, such as MRSA or C. difficile.
• decontaminationRemoving or destroying bloodborne pathogens on a surface or item so it is safe to handle, use or discard.
• disinfectionRemoving or killing pathogens on objects and surfaces; even high-level disinfection may not destroy all bacterial…
• droplet precautionsA mask for close contact with patients whose infections spread by respiratory droplets, such as influenza or pertussis.
• droplet transmissionSpread of pathogens in respiratory droplets released by coughing, sneezing or talking.
• endemicA disease constantly present in a particular geographic area.
• engineering controlsDevices that isolate or remove a bloodborne pathogen hazard, such as sharps containers and safety-engineered needles.
• epidemicMore cases of a disease in a community or region than normally expected.
• exposure control planAn employer's written OSHA plan to eliminate or minimize employee exposure to bloodborne pathogens.
• exposure incidentContact of an eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, nonintact skin or parenteral route with blood or other potentially…
• fomiteAn object or surface that can carry pathogens from one person to another.
• fungusAn organism from the kingdom Fungi; some fungi cause infections.
• HAIHealthcare-associated infection: an infection a patient acquires while receiving care.
• healthcare-associated infectionAn infection a patient acquires while receiving health care.
• herd immunityProtection of a community when enough people are immune to a disease to limit its spread.
• incubation periodThe time between entry of a pathogen into the body and the first symptoms.
• medical asepsisClean technique: practices that reduce the number and spread of microorganisms.
• MRSAMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: staph bacteria resistant to many antibiotics.
• N95 respiratorA tight-fitting respirator that filters very small airborne particles; it must be fit-tested.
• occupational exposureReasonably anticipated contact with blood or OPIM that may result from an employee's job duties.
• OPIMOther potentially infectious materials: body fluids and tissues treated like blood under the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens…
• OSHAOccupational Safety and Health Administration: the federal agency that sets and enforces workplace safety rules.
• passive immunityImmunity from antibodies received from another source, such as an injection of antibodies.
• pathogenA microorganism that causes disease.
• portal of entryThe route by which a pathogen enters a new host.
• portal of exitThe route by which a pathogen leaves its reservoir.
• PPEPersonal protective equipment: gloves, gowns, masks, eye protection and similar barriers.
• protozoaSingle-celled organisms, some of which cause parasitic infections.
• regulated wasteLiquid or semi-liquid blood or OPIM, items caked or dripping with them, and contaminated sharps, all requiring special…
• reservoirThe place where a pathogen lives and multiplies, such as a person, animal or surface.
• sanitizationRemoving visible soil and debris from objects; cleaning must come before high-level disinfection or sterilization.
• SDSSafety data sheet: the document describing a hazardous chemical's dangers and safe handling, required by OSHA's Hazard…
• sharpsObjects that can puncture or cut skin, such as needles, lancets, scalpels and broken glass.
• standard precautionsInfection prevention practices used with every patient, including hand hygiene, PPE based on expected exposure, and…
• sterilizationA process that destroys all microorganisms, including bacterial spores, on an object.
• surgical asepsisSterile technique: practices that keep an area completely free of microorganisms during invasive procedures.
• susceptible hostA person at risk of becoming infected.
• transmission-based precautionsExtra precautions (contact, droplet or airborne) added to standard precautions for patients with certain infections.
• universal precautionsThe OSHA approach of treating all human blood and certain body fluids as if known to be infectious.
• vector transmissionSpread of a pathogen by a living carrier such as a mosquito or tick.
• virusA tiny infectious agent of genetic material in a protein coat; it can multiply only inside host cells.
• VREVancomycin-resistant Enterococcus: bacteria resistant to the antibiotic vancomycin.
• work practice controlsChanges in how a task is done that reduce exposure risk, such as banning two-handed needle recapping.