Skip to main content

Hand Hygiene and Infection Control Protocols Study Guide

Learn about the critical role of hand hygiene in preventing the spread of infections in healthcare. This guide covers understanding skin flora, proper hand washing techniques, the use of sanitizers, and surgical scrub procedures. Essential knowledge for healthcare professionals to maintain a safe environment and prevent cross-transmission of pathogens.

Save this study guide to your study set

Sign up free

Your learning path

PPE Selection and Hand Hygiene Protocols

Selection and Use of PPE

Information on the selection and use of PPE in healthcare settings including how to safely don and remove PPE.

  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Risk Assessment
  • Contact Precautions
  • Droplet Precautions
  • Airborne Infection Isolation
  • Gloves (Latex, Vinyl, Nitrile, Polyurethane)
  • Sterile and Non-sterile Gloves
  • Latex Hypersensitivity
  • Type I and Type II Allergic Reactions
  • Contact Dermatitis
  • Hand Washing

Gloving Procedures and Contamination Prevention

Guidelines for limiting touch contamination and specific steps in gloving and discarding disposable gloves.

  • Touch contamination
  • PPE
  • Disposable gloves
  • Gloving steps
  • Isolation gown cuffs
  • Contamination prevention

Personal Protective Equipment Selection and Use

Guidelines for selecting, donning, and removing personal protective equipment to protect against exposure to infectious agents, blood, and body fluids.

  • Masks
  • Goggles
  • Surgical masks
  • Blow-by
  • Strike-through
  • Respirator ratings
  • N95 particulate respirator
  • Protective eyewear
  • Fluid resistant gowns
  • Footwear safety
  • Donning and doffing sequences
  • Hand hygiene
  • Contamination control

Hand Hygiene and Skin Flora Management

Hand hygiene is recognized as the single most important way to prevent the transmission of infectious agents and organisms. This topic covers transient flora, resident flora, cross-transmission, pathogens, skin flora, and examination of hands.

  • Hand hygiene
  • Transient flora
  • Resident flora
  • Cross transmission
  • Pathogens
  • Skin flora
  • Examination of hands

Hand Washing and Sanitizer Techniques

Procedures for hand washing with antimicrobial soap and the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers to reduce microbes. Includes information on antimicrobial soap types, routine hand wash procedures, and hand hygiene for visibly soiled hands.

  • Antimicrobial soap types
  • Chlorhexidine Gluconate
  • Iodine liquid
  • Routine hand wash procedures
  • Alcohol-based hand rub
  • Hand hygiene for visibly soiled hands
  • Skin care and moisture

Surgical Hand Washing and Hygiene Protocols

Procedures for surgical hand washing and hand hygiene to reduce resident skin microbes and prevent wound infections. Covers surgical hand washing procedures, antimicrobial soap requirements, surgical scrub steps, and the five moments for hand hygiene.

  • Surgical hand washing procedures
  • Antimicrobial soap requirements
  • Surgical scrub steps
  • Alcohol gel versus soap and water
  • Hand hygiene compliance factors
  • Five moments for hand hygiene
  • Aseptic task precautions

Standard Precautions and Microorganism Benefits

Guidelines for disease transmission in dental offices include standard precautions, aseptic techniques, and the benefits of microorganisms.

  • Standard Precautions
  • Aseptic Techniques
  • Hand Hygiene
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Waste Management
  • Injury Prevention
  • Instrument Sterilization and Disinfection
  • Surface Disinfection
  • Radiographic asepsis
  • Laboratory asepsis
  • Infectious dental waste management
  • Benefits of Microorganisms

Principles of Infection Control and Disease Transmission

Infectious Diseases in Dentistry

This content examines the chain of infection components, factors influencing infection development, and specific infectious diseases encountered in dental practice.

  • Chain of infection components
  • Infectious agent
  • Reservoir
  • Portal of exit
  • Transmission modes
  • Portal of entry
  • Susceptible host
  • Virulence of organisms
  • Immune status
  • AIDS and HIV infection
  • Candidiasis
  • Hepatitis B
  • Hepatitis C
  • Oral manifestations of HIV
  • Infection control procedures

Infectious Diseases and Infection Control

Information regarding various micro-organisms, modes of transmission, and prevention methods for infectious diseases important in dentistry.

  • Herpes Simplex
  • Common Cold
  • Influenza
  • Tuberculosis
  • Syphilis
  • Tetanus
  • Pneumonia
  • Cytomegalovirus
  • Infective mononucleosis
  • Hepatitis B
  • Hepatitis C
  • Hepatitis D
  • HIV
  • Staphylococcus aureus
  • Varicella virus
  • Measles
  • Mumps
  • Rhinovirus
  • Adenovirus
  • Rubella virus

Infection Control and Disease Prevention

Methods for controlling spread of infection include aseptic techniques, wearing protective personal equipments, adhering to standard precautions, and implementing reactive or proactive approaches.

  • Diseases for which vaccines are available
  • Hepatitis B vaccination procedure
  • Immunization regimen
  • Prevention of disease transmission
  • Aseptic techniques
  • Protective personal equipments
  • Standard precautions
  • Reactive approach to controlling spread of infection
  • Proactive approach to controlling spread of infection
  • Identify risk groups
  • Early diagnosis and prompt treatment

Principles of Infection Control in Dentistry

Infection control is the prevention of the spread of clinically significant micro organisms that cause infection.

  • Infection control
  • Health Care-associated infection
  • Nosocomial
  • Iatrogenic
  • Transmission routes
  • Contact transmission
  • Droplet transmission
  • Airborne transmission
  • Hand washing
  • Isolating patients
  • Cleaning protective gowns, masks and gloves

Fundamentals of Infection and Disease

Infection involves the invasion of a host organism's bodily tissues by microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi.

  • Infection
  • Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Acute Infection
  • Chronic Infection
  • Primary Infection
  • Secondary Infection
  • Localized Infection
  • Systemic Infection
  • Infection symptoms
  • Microorganism spread
  • Infection control program
  • Cross-contamination

Infectious Diseases in Dentistry

Dental team members face higher risks of cross infection from bacteria, fungi, parasites, or viruses.

  • Modes of transmission of infection
  • Immune system role
  • Bacterium
  • Parasite
  • Virus

Means of Transmission in Dentistry

Microorganisms cause disease through direct transmission via blood and saliva or indirect transmission via contaminated intermediate objects.

  • Direct Transmission
  • Indirect Transmission
  • Virulence
  • Dose
  • Resistance
  • Droplet infection
  • Aerosol
  • Mists
  • Splatter
  • Cross contamination
  • High volume evacuation
  • Dental dam

General Modes of Disease Transmission

This content examines various modes of transmission including droplet, airborne, fecal-oral, vector-borne, soil, and animal bite transmission.

  • Droplet Transmission
  • Airborne Transmission
  • Fecal-oral Transmission
  • Vector-borne Transmission
  • Soil Transmission
  • Animal (Bite) Transmission
  • Aerosols
  • Pathogens
  • Vectors

Modes and Precautions of Disease Transmission

The transmission of infection through vertical transmission, percutaneous, contact, inhalation, and indirect contact modes in dental settings.

  • Vertical Transmission
  • Modes of Transmission
  • Percutaneous Transmission
  • Contact Transmission
  • Inhalation of Aerosols
  • Indirect Contact
  • Risk Factors of Disease Transmission
  • Host Susceptibility
  • Universal Precautions
  • Infectious Disease Carriers

Infection Control in Dental Practice

The objective of infection control is to prevent the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms and cross-contamination in the dental office by breaking the chain of infection.

  • Infection control
  • Cross-contamination
  • Universal Precautions
  • Standard Precautions
  • Chain of infection
  • Sterilization
  • Disinfection
  • Asepsis
  • Modes of disease transmission
  • Personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • OSHA blood borne pathogen standard
  • CDC guidelines

Make it your own.

Keep these readings and topics in a new study set, or add them to one you already use.