Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare Show
‘Effective infection prevention and control is central to providing high quality healthcare for patients and a safe working environment for those who work in [a] healthcare setting.’1 In fact, therapy providers – including those in the allied health space – have a “legal responsibility to provide a safe work environment, safe systems of work and a safe environment for patients and visitors.’1 To help therapists understand their obligations and how to meet them, a fundamental document was released last year. The Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control on Infection in Healthcare (“The Guidelines”) was compiled by The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in partnership with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare. Released in May 2019, The Guidelines provide ’evidence-based recommendations that outline critical aspects of infection prevention and control, focusing on core principles’1 that should be applied to a wide range of healthcare and clinical settings. The Guidelines state that ‘to be effective, infection prevention and control must be a priority in every healthcare facility’1 and ’the person in charge of the organisation must have overall responsibility for and direct involvement in the organisation’s infection prevention and control program.’1 Often in hospital, clinical, massage and beauty settings a customer will be required to lie face down (prone) on a therapy/massage bed and place their face into a hole in the bed, an area that is provento harbour infectious agents, and therefore requiring high quality hygiene practice.
 The Guidelines do outline environmental health and hygiene requirements when it comes to prone therapy, which are summarised below. You can attain a full copy of The Guidelines here. View the guidelines The three categories of bacterial transmission The Guidelines categorise the modes of bacterial transmission as such:
The predominant modes of transmission in prone therapy are contact and droplet. Contact During prone therapy, there are multiple points for potential contact transmission. In simple terms, any part of the therapist or customer’s body that touches the bed may, and in most cases will, transfer bacteria whether it be harmful or non-harmful. This not only refers to the top of the bed but also includes areas in and around the face-hole of the bed. This is particularly worse when people are undressed as many people “carry staph bacteria on the surface of their skin”2. Surfaces have been shown to carry bacterial agents for weeks, and serve as the intermediary object as described above, particularly in therapy settings and high traffic areas. Droplet During therapy, while a customer is prone, the droplets of a cough, sneeze or even spit whilst speaking or breathing land on the bed’s surface – particularly the interior aspect of the face hole and it’s surrounds. Staph may be carried in people’s noses and has been found on the internal aspect of the face-hole during random swab testing on private clinics. This is even despite what some perceive, or may appear to be “hygienic practice.” Agents such as saliva and other fluids act as vehicles which allow bacteria to travel from one area to another meaning the risk of infection in the face hole is greatly intensified for the next customer. Particularly without proven protection or hygiene practice as they will be exposing their mucosal surfaces to the resultant bacteria. Airborne Learn About The Australian Guidelines & FaceShield™ REFERENCES
What is the purpose of the Australian guidelines for the prevention and control of infection in healthcare?The Australian guidelines for the prevention and control of infection in healthcare is a nationally accepted approach to infection prevention and control. The guidelines focus on core principles of infection control and outline priority areas for health services.
What is the legislation for infection prevention and control in Australia called?The Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare (AICGs) was jointly developed by the Commission and the NHMRC.
What are the 5 standard precautions for infection control?Hand Hygiene. Hand hygiene is the most important measure to prevent the spread of infections among patients and DHCP. ... . Respiratory Hygiene/Cough Etiquette. ... . Sharps Safety. ... . Safe Injection Practices. ... . Sterilization and Disinfection of Patient-Care Items and Devices.. What are the four 4 standard precautions for preventing and controlling infection in the clinical setting?Standard precautions are basic infection prevention and control strategies that apply to everyone, regardless of their perceived or confirmed infectious status. Strategies include hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, cleaning, and appropriate handling and disposal of sharps.
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