Infection Prevention, Sanitation and Biomedical Waste
This domain tests the chain of infection, standard precautions and the colour-coded segregation required by India's Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016. Segregation questions are the most common and the easiest to lose.
Chain and precautions
- Chain of infection: agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, susceptible host. Break any link to prevent infection.
- Hand hygiene is the single most effective measure. WHO 5 moments: before touching a patient, before a clean procedure, after body-fluid exposure, after touching a patient, after touching surroundings.
- Standard precautions apply to every patient: treat all blood and body fluids as infectious.
- Never recap, bend or break a needle; drop it into the sharps container at the point of use.
Colour coding
- Yellow: human anatomical waste, soiled waste, expired medicines, chemical and cytotoxic waste.
- Red: contaminated recyclable plastics - IV tubing, bottles, gloves, catheters, syringes without needles.
- White translucent, puncture-proof: sharps - needles, scalpels, blades.
- Blue: glassware and metallic implants.
- Green: general biodegradable waste - food and garden waste, paper.
Worked example
After an injection, both the needle and the plastic syringe need disposal. Reasoning: never recap; separate only if a needle destroyer is available. The needle goes into the white translucent puncture-proof sharps container, the contaminated barrel into the red bag, and hand hygiene follows.
Traps that cost marks
- Putting needles into red or yellow bags.
- Placing expired tablets in red; they belong in yellow.
- Recapping a needle to keep it safe.
- Wearing the same gloves for two different patients.