Sets out the do's and don'ts of daily practice needed to prevent the transmission of HIV and hepatitis B virus in the health care setting. Focused on situations commonly encountered by nurses, the book covers virtually all precautions needed to protect nurses and patients against the risks of infection. The book also equips nurses to act as educators for the general public by providing sound information on preventive measures and dispelling unfounded fears. Throughout, key points are underscored by illustrations suitable for use in training or for reproduction as wall charts. The book opens with a brief summary of the ways in which HIV is - and is not - transmitted. The second chapter describes basic rules of practice for preventing HIV transmission in the health care setting. Noting that almost all cases of HIV transmission to health care workers have resulted from preventable accidents, the chapter spells out universal precautions for the prevention of injuries with "sharps", protection against exposure to blood and body fluid, the cleaning of spills, and special situations, such as mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Nurses also receive guidance on how to help families maintain a safe environment when patients are cared for in the home. The third chapter describes universal precautions to follow in six special situations: laboratories, housekeeping, laundry, waste disposal, dentistry, and postmortem procedures. Other chapters cover the cleaning, sterilization, and disinfection of needles, syringes, and other equipment, and outline steps for establishing an infection control programme in the health care setting. The book concludes with advice on how to develop a system for monitoring, reporting, recording, and evaluating cases of possible HIV exposure among health care workers.

DC.WPRO

eng.

WHODOC

WHO monograph

4