Six basic principles of effective infection control

Ensuring the most sterile environment for your podiatry patients

Infection prevention and control (IPC) is paramount in all healthcare settings in order to protect both patients and professionals when undertaking medical procedures and tests. Without proper IPC, podiatrists and chiropodists are unable to deliver the highest quality of healthcare, and it is therefore the responsibility of everyone within a clinic to guarantee proper management plans are in place to provide the most sterile environment within clinics.

 

  1. Hand Hygiene

It is vital that good hand hygiene is adhered to, especially as they are a podiatrist’s initial tools in the consultation process. Handwashing with soap and water and alcohol-based hand rubs are recommended immediately before contact with a patient, before any aseptic task or handling any invasive medical device, and again after contact with the patient, dressings, or any surrounding objects including PPE.

 

There should also be handwashing or sanitising stations available to patients throughout the clinic, especially in patient care areas. A record of hand hygiene protocols should be made and reviewed to ensure all members of staff are correctly carrying them out.

 

  1. PPE

Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be readily available throughout the clinic in a variety of sizes.  This includes gloves, aprons/gowns, face masks/shields, overshoes and goggles where necessary, and training should be given to all staff members to make sure there are no knowledge gaps on how or where to correctly use these items.


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    1. Respiratory hygiene

    Even with the use of face masks and face shields, the topic of respiratory hygiene – especially regarding viruses and coughing – should be addressed within employee training and patient and family discussions.

    Alcohol-based hand sanitiser, no-touch waste bins, tissues and face masks should be made available to everyone who enters a clinic, and guides on proper etiquette should be in view at all times to minimise the risk of transmission.

     

    1. Equipment and surfaces

    Ensuring a clean and sterile environment is crucial in the prevention of infection and cross-contamination. Up to date training, as well as clear instructions in an IPC manual, as to the proper and safe handling of equipment and surfaces is recommended for all members of staff. There should also be routine cleaning practices in place which need to be monitored, documented, and reviewed periodically.

    The collection and disposal of any medical waste should also be outlined clearly, and staff members should be notified of any and all changes to any protocols.

     

    1. Injections and medication storage

    The handling of injections and medicine should only fall to those trained, and regular reviews into best practices regarding IPC should take place and rolled out to applicable staff members. Less invasive medicines, like those designed for topical or oral administration, should also be considered when managing infection control.

     

    1. Medical devices and instruments

    For reusable medical devices, decontamination procedures should be put in place to minimise the risk of cross-contamination between patients. Always opt for autoclavable reusable instruments, and follow best practices regarding IPC (read our decontamination guide here).

    Single-use instruments, like those supplied by Susol, are individually wrapped to ensure they are sterile and ready for each patient. Make sure there is a proper procedure in place for the disposal of single-use instruments and that this is well-documented and reviewed regularly.

    For more information on how to sterilise or dispose of medical devices and instruments, contact either the manufacturer or distributor.


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    These six basic principals are considered by experts to be the minimum that every clinic should be adopting to reduce the risk of infection for both patients and staff members as much as is possible. For more information on best practices, visit: https://www.cdc.gov

    At Algeos, we offer a range of products to help ensure your clinic is running at its best and most safe. To shop the range of sterilisation and hygiene products, click here, or to view our range of single-use sterile instruments, visit: https://www.algeos.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=susol