Asepsis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Asepsis - Essay Example Asepsis is targeted at eliminating the possibility of infection while anti-sepsis is the use of chemicals to destroy germs already in the body or wound (Markovitch, 2005). UK’s National Health Service (2009) on Asepsis Surgery The United Kingdom National Health Service (2009, p. 3) defined asepsis as â€Å"the prevention of microbial contamination during invasive procedures or management of breaches in the skin’s integrity.† Literally, asepsis means â€Å"without microorganisms† (UK National Health Service, 2009, p. 3). Further, the NHS pointed out that an aseptic technique â€Å"ensures that only uncontaminated objects/fluids make contract with sterile/susceptible sites, minimizing the risks of exposure to potentially pathogenic organisms† (United Kingdom National Health Services, 2009, p. 9). In contrast, the â€Å"clean technique is a modified aseptic technique where the basic principle of an aseptic technique is used and clean gloves, clean fie ld and non sterile solutions are used† (United Kingdom National Health Services, 2009, p. 3). Based on the United Kingdom National Health Service (2009, p. 4-7), we can derive twelve principles followed in aseptic surgery. The first principle is the principle of non-touch or the principle that even if the hands are washed, the hands must not touch the sterile equipment or the patient. Non-touch can be achieved by using forceps or sterile gloves (United Kingdom Health Service, 2009). The second principle is the preparation of the equipment, environment, and patient for the aseptic procedure. This can involve cleaning and drying the patient body areas that will be affected by surgery. It also means ensuring that equipment and solutions are sterile and undamaged before use. According to the United Kingdom National Health Service (2009), any equipment including gloves that are contaminated must be discarded and replaced before use. The third principle is the use of â€Å"sterile of sterile equipment for the procedure, which has been stored appropriately until use† (United Kingdom National Health Service, 2009, p. 5). The fourth principle is the â€Å"avoidance of direct contact with the susceptible site† (United Kingdom National Health Service, 2009, p. 5). The fifth principle is â€Å"effective hand hygiene† that involves the decontamination of the doctors hands with an alcohol hand rub and most importantly with observation of a twelve-step procedure for hand decontamination adopted in 2008 (United Kingdom National Health Service, 2009, p. 5-6). The sixth principle is correct handling by doctors of sterile gloves: only the wrist end must be touched and the outer surface of the gloves must not be contaminated. The seventh principle is maintaining asepsis all throughout the medical procedure like surgery. The eighth principle is the use of appropriate clothing. The United Kingdom National Health Service prescribes, for example, that clini cal staff must have â€Å"sleeves that are short or rolled back, no wrist jewelry/watches, no false nails and no stoned rings† (United Kingdom National Health Service, 2009, p. 5). The ninth principle is the use of effectively cleaned equipment and appropriate personal protective equipment. The tenth principle is the separation of wastes between domestic and clinical wastes. The eleventh principle is