BTS CPI flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Chain of infection

Six linked elements - infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host - that must all be present for transmission; interrupting any link prevents infection.

Standard Precautions

Infection control practices applied to all patients regardless of diagnosis, including hand hygiene, gloves, gown, mask and eye protection based on anticipated exposure, and safe injection practices.

Airborne Precautions

Precautions requiring an N95 or higher respirator and a negative-pressure airborne infection isolation room with at least 12 air changes per hour; used for tuberculosis, measles, and varicella.

Droplet Precautions

Precautions requiring a surgical mask on room entry plus Standard Precautions, used for organisms spread by large respiratory droplets such as influenza, pertussis, and meningococcal disease.

Contact Precautions

Precautions requiring gown and gloves on room entry, used for MRSA, VRE, C. difficile, and other organisms spread by direct or indirect contact; single room preferred.

WHO 5 Moments

Hand hygiene indications: before touching a patient, before clean/aseptic procedure, after body fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient, and after touching patient surroundings.

Spaulding classification

System categorizing items as critical (require sterilization), semicritical (require high-level disinfection), or noncritical (require low-level disinfection) based on the body site contacted.

High-level disinfection

Process that destroys all microorganisms except high numbers of bacterial spores; used for semicritical items such as endoscopes and requires verified concentration and contact time.

CLABSI definition

NHSN laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection not secondary to another site, in a patient with a central line in place for more than two calendar days on the event date.

CAUTI prevention bundle

Set of practices including avoiding unnecessary catheters, aseptic insertion, closed drainage, keeping the bag below bladder level, and prompt removal to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

SSI prophylaxis timing

Prophylactic antibiotic should be administered within 60 minutes before surgical incision, or within 120 minutes for vancomycin and fluoroquinolones, to achieve adequate tissue levels.

SIR

Standardized infection ratio, calculated as observed infections divided by predicted infections from a risk-adjusted model; a value greater than 1 indicates more infections than predicted.

Device-day rate

Infection rate calculated as number of infections divided by number of device-days, multiplied by 1,000; used for CLABSI, CAUTI, and VAP surveillance.

Attack rate

Proportion of exposed persons who develop illness, calculated as cases divided by persons at risk; used in outbreak investigations to compare exposed and unexposed groups.

Epidemic curve

Graph of cases by date or time of onset; a single sharp peak suggests a point-source exposure, while successive peaks suggest person-to-person spread.

Case definition

Standardized criteria specifying clinical features, time, place, and person used to classify individuals as suspect, probable, or confirmed cases during surveillance or an outbreak.

Bloodborne Pathogens Standard

OSHA regulation (29 CFR 1910.1030) requiring an exposure control plan, hepatitis B vaccination, PPE, engineering controls, post-exposure evaluation, and annual training for at-risk workers.

HIV post-exposure prophylaxis

Antiretroviral regimen started as soon as possible after occupational exposure, ideally within hours and no later than 72 hours, with follow-up testing and counseling.

N95 fit testing

Required annual procedure verifying that a respirator forms an adequate seal on the wearer's face; medical evaluation and training must precede respirator use.

Antimicrobial stewardship

Program of interventions including prospective audit and feedback, preauthorization, de-escalation, dose optimization, and IV-to-oral conversion to improve antibiotic use and limit resistance.

Days of therapy

Stewardship metric counting each day a patient receives an antimicrobial agent, regardless of dose; reported per 1,000 patient-days to compare antibiotic consumption.

CRE

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, resistant to carbapenems often via carbapenemase enzymes such as KPC, NDM, or OXA-48; require Contact Precautions and public health reporting.

Asymptomatic bacteriuria

Presence of bacteria in urine without symptoms; generally should not be treated except in pregnancy or before urologic procedures, to avoid unnecessary antibiotics and resistance.

C. difficile spore resistance

C. difficile spores survive alcohol-based hand rub and many disinfectants; soap-and-water hand washing and sporicidal agents such as chlorine are required for control.

Terminal cleaning

Thorough cleaning and disinfection of a patient room after discharge or transfer, including high-touch surfaces, bed, bathroom, and equipment, before the next occupant.

ICRA

Infection Control Risk Assessment conducted before construction or renovation to identify and mitigate risks such as dust, air handling disruption, and water system contamination.

Annual risk assessment

Required IPC planning process that evaluates population, services, prior surveillance data, and regional epidemiology to prioritize infection prevention goals for the coming year.

PDSA cycle

Plan-Do-Study-Act quality improvement method used to test small changes, measure results, and spread effective interventions in infection prevention programs.

NHSN

National Healthcare Safety Network, CDC's surveillance system used to calculate CLABSI, CAUTI, VAP/VAE, SSI, and CDI rates and to satisfy public reporting requirements.

CMS §482.42

Hospital Condition of Participation requiring an active infection prevention and control program with a designated leader, surveillance, and prevention of healthcare-associated infections.

Biofilm

Surface-attached microbial community encased in extracellular matrix that resists antibiotics and disinfectants; clinically important on catheters, central lines, and endotracheal tubes.

Colonization versus infection

Colonization is microbial presence without tissue invasion or host response; infection involves invasion and clinical signs, a distinction central to MDRO surveillance definitions.