Sterile Technique: The Core Concepts and Best Practices | According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5% of patients admitted to hospitals will contract an infection of some kind during their stay. These infections lead to 99,000 deaths every single year, and it costs us $10 billion during that time.
Hospital-acquired infections aren’t anything new, but there have been advances in recent years to lower the rates of them. The fewer infections patients contract, the fewer deaths there will be.
One of the most common practices is the sterile technique. Creating a sterilized environment could be the key to getting these infections under control.
Keep reading to learn more.
What Is the Sterile Technique?
The sterile technique involves keeping things, people, and places free from germs. If we’re going to get hospital-acquired infections under control, we need to make sure that we’re keeping procedures, surgeries, and other patient contacts sterile.
You should practice the sterile technique any time you’re with a patient or performing a procedure on a patient.
The sterile technique is the set of steps that can help medical professionals keep these areas clean. The end goal is to avoid infection and provide better medical care.
Performing the Sterile Technique
In order to perform the sterile technique, you’re going to need the following supplies:
- Access to running water
- Soap
- A sterile kit or pad
- Gloves (which may be in the kit)
- A face mask
- A clean, dry surface
- Fresh paper towels
You can check out more relevant medical supplies if you’re looking to stock up.
To begin, you’re going to wash your hands well with soap and running water. Make sure that you’re keeping all surfaces clean and dry.
When you’re handling medical supplies, you should only touch the outside wrappers with your bare hands. Otherwise, you need to wear gloves.
You should also wear a mask over your nose and mouth.
Best Practices
When you’re practicing the sterile technique, there are a few practices to keep in mind. These can help you keep a sterile field and an overall sterilized environment:
- Only touch the sterile equipment with your gloves
- Always wash your hands before putting on your gloves
- Change your gloves if you touch anything other than the sterile equipment
- Check to make sure that you haven’t punctured a hole in either of your gloves
- Ensure that your hands are completely dry before putting on gloves
By using these tips, you’ll be able to take advantage of all of the sterile technique benefits. You’ll decrease infection rates and give better patient care overall.
Learning More
When it comes to caring for patients, there’s always more to read. The sterile technique is one of the most popular (and most effective) strategies for caring for patients. But, there is much more that you could learn about.
If you’re looking to do more, check out the rest of our blog. We release articles on a variety of medical topics and subjects. And, we’re focused on sharing useful information that can help you become a better medical provider.
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