CNAs and Infection Control

So, what precisely is infection prevention? Also referred to as infection control, infection prevention is defined as the blended range of measures and techniques that aim to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Certified nursing assistants (CNAs), medical assistants (MAs), phlebotomy technicians and other allied healthcare workers must engage in infection control measures to keep their patients safe.

Infection prevention methods are extremely important in all types of healthcare settings in order to protect the health and safety of the patients who receive care, as well as the direct care workers who deliver the majority of the hands-on care activities. This is due to the unfortunate fact that infections that are acquired in healthcare settings can result in poor outcomes such as lengthy illnesses, extended hospitalizations and untimely deaths.

Hand-washing and hand hygiene activities such as the use of alcohol-based hand rubs are the single most effective actions that allied healthcare workers can take to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in healthcare settings. Since contaminated hands are capable of spreading awful infections, allied healthcare workers greatly minimize the odds of spreading infectious diseases by performing hand hygiene before and after each patient contact.