Thursday, November 8, 2012

5 Top Reasons Why Aseptic Techniques Training Is Important

Hospital employees who are in constant contact with ill patients need to be trained about aseptic techniques. These employees are nurses, doctors, and others who provide continual care to patients. Aseptic techniques are a set of procedures that are followed by doctors and nurses in a healthcare setting in order to prevent spreading of infection. Although not all healthcare employees deal closely with patients, it is always good for all the employees to know these techniques.

Listed below are the top five reasons why aseptic technique training is important.

• These techniques training aims at teaching healthcare workers to create a sterile environment without the presence of harmful microorganisms. Any instrument and equipment that is used on a patient must be sterilized. Cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization are good practices, although on their own they do not keep the pathogens completely away.

• These techniques are beneficial in two ways. They help prevent the spread of infection from an infected patient to doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers; and it also prevents the patient getting infected with a pathogen that can make him worse. These techniques training helps keep the pathogens away, thus prevent both these scenarios.

• These techniques are especially essential during surgeries. Hence it is good for the surgical staff to be trained. These techniques need to be practiced during tube insertions, intra-arterial line insertions, and catheter and drainage tube insertions. Other than surgical care, these techniques must be followed during intravascular procedures, endoscopy, and wound care and so on. Although these techniques must be practiced in all areas of the hospital at all time, these areas are given special mention as they have a greater risk of spreading infection. It is up to the healthcare workers to do their best to put the training into practice so as to keep themselves and the patients safe.

• As in the case of all areas of the hospital, so it is that aseptic techniques must be practiced while dealing with all patients. Here again, however, there are special cases where the chance of acquiring an infection may be more, for e.g. trauma patients, cancer and diabetic patients, and burn patients. As they as already in a vulnerable state, all precautions must be taken to prevent their condition from worsening.

• Practicing aseptic techniques is the best way to keep an area sterile and to prevent spread of infection. The operating rooms come highest in level of asepsis required, nonetheless wards, and other clinical areas also need be free of infections. The high dependency unit and the isolation ward require an aseptic environment as highly dependent and vulnerable patients are placed here for care. They are prone to even the slightest of infection and thus need extra care and precautions.

Be it surgical asepsis (aseptic techniques for surgical procedures) or medical asepsis (aseptic techniques in other areas of the hospital), aseptic techniques are very important to keep the environment sterile and prevent infection. Therefore, training about these techniques is very essential and every hospital employee must undertake it.

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