#Standard principles of asepsis how to

An aseptic technique is required for many clinical interventions including wound dressing and insertion of invasive devices, as well as the maintenance of these devices (Loveday et al, 2014).

#Standard principles of asepsis how to

Healthcare workers who perform an aseptic technique should receive training in how to correctly perform the procedure this should include a competency assessment (Loveday et al, 2014).Ī variety of terms are used to refer to aseptic technique this can be confusing for frontline healthcare staff (Loveday et al, 2014). Medical asepsis – sometimes referred to as standard aseptic technique (Association of Safe Aseptic Practice, 2015) – aims to reduce the number of organisms and prevents their spread by use of standard principles of infection prevention (Loveday et al, 2014). Surgical asepsis includes procedures to eliminate, rather than reduce, micro-organisms from an area and is practised by surgical teams and nurses in operating theatres and procedure areas, including interventional radiology (NICE, 2012). The term ‘clean technique’ is often used to describe the procedure for dressing chronic wounds it includes hand hygiene, preparation of a clean area with use of clean gloves and sterile instruments, such as scissors and forceps (Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Society, 2012). A ‘clean technique’ can be classed as medical asepsis or standard aseptic technique, as it uses the same principles. Rowley et al (2010) recognised the need for a systematic and robust approach to aseptic technique that aims to prevent the contamination of wounds or other susceptible sites by removing variation in practice (Rowley et al, 2010). The ANTT® (aseptic non-touch technique) framework was developed to provide consistent step-by-step guidance for an aseptic non-touch technique that can be applied to several invasive procedures, including insertion of urinary catheters and peripheral cannulas, phlebotomy and administration of intravenous drugs (Box 1) (Rowley et al, 2010). It provides a comprehensive set of principles including ANTT, which aims to achieve surgical asepsis the ANTT approach is widely used in hospitals and community settings (NICE, 2012).īox 1.

Examples of when to use a medical aseptic technique