The health care industry has come a long way since the time when no protective gear was used and today where there is a lot of equipment available for protection. Besides the evolution of this field, factors like Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) as well as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) made the health care personnel realize the importance of taking adequate precautions.

There are many provisions in place that have made Universal Precautions mandatory. However the following points will tell you how these precautions will ensure your safety when discharging your duties.

– Importance of Assumption: Today, a lot of health care personnel are faced with more complex diseases and an increasing number of patients to deal with. Besides having less and less time while working with each patient there is no way to know if the patient is infected with a common disease or something as deadly as AIDS just by looking at them. Thus it is very important to assume that every patient has an infection so that all the precautions are taken irrespective of whether the patients has just been admitted or is undergoing treatment.

– Evolution of Equipment: With the advance in technology, personal protective equipment (PPE) used in health care facilities has also seen significant changes. A basic gear like gloves which is worn for even the most basic treatment too has evolved. Today the gloves are mostly disposable and may be powdered or reinforced with mesh so as to provide adequate protection in different kinds of situations. What’s more, the gloves may be changed more than once when treating different sites of the same patient to prevent risks of cross contamination. Other pieces of equipment like face shields and eye protection come in various sizes to ensure a proper fit and are made to effectively resist fluid splashes, vapors and microbes. Also they are much more comfortable and do not impede the view while providing treatment. Furthermore gear like gowns, caps and shoe covers ensure complete protection during more invasive treatments like surgeries.

– Safe Work Practices: You may have all the knowledge and equipment for safety but it is also vital that you put them all into practice. Besides wearing the suitable PPE you must also know which of them are to be reused or discarded and should be put away accordingly. Before reusing the gear you must ensure that they have been properly decontaminated and are not damaged in any way. Also you must follow the proper disposal of sharp instruments to avoid risks of Needlestick injuries which are commonly responsible for spreading infections, and also put away contaminated materials in specifically labeled containers to avoid the spread of infection.

There is no dearth of rules for safety in the health care field however most of the problems have been seen arising from poor implementation of these safety precautions. You must realize that these Universal Precautions are the primary and most important set of barriers for ensuring your safety while working in any health care facility, and thus must be followed for all procedures, no matter how ‘safe’ it may seem.

For more information, please visit our universal precautions website.

For more information, please visit our universal precautions website http://www.universalprecautions.com

Author Bio: For more information, please visit our universal precautions website.

Category: Medical Business
Keywords: AIDS,HIV,Safety,Universal Precautions