Indeed, as far back as the mid-1800s, the association between good hand hygiene and reduced infection rates was identified by Ignaz Semmelweis (Wilson, 2019). It could be suggested that understanding the principles of asepsis goes back as far as Florence Nightingale, who made the links between good hand hygiene and reduction in wound infections in 1855 (Rowley et al, 2010). The term asepsis means “the absence of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms” (Loveday et al, 2014). To reduce patients’ risk of developing a HCAI, it is vital to prevent the transmission of micro-organisms between staff and patients when undertaking any invasive procedure (Loveday et al, 2014) this can be achieved by asepsis. These infections are more likely to occur in patients with invasive devices, such as peripheral canulas, vascular access devices or urinary catheters in situ, or after invasive procedures (NICE, 2012).
It is estimated that 300,000 patients each year in England will develop a healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2012).
DAPA STYLE ESSAY ON MEDICAL AND SURGICAL ASEPSIS PDF
Nursing Times 116: 38-41.Īuthors: Andrea Denton and Carole Hallam are independent nurse consultants, AC Independent Nursing Consultants. This article, the first in a two-part series, describes the principles of asepsis and part 2 will describe the procedure for changing a simple wound dressing.Ĭitation: Denton A, Hallam C (2020) Principles of asepsis 1: the rationale for using aseptic technique. Aseptic technique is a core competency for many nurses.
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