GENERAL INFORMATION

Infection Control
Infection control is an important part of clinical practice and is of increasing importance to all health care workers because of public and professional concerns about the transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C to name a few.

The importance of minimising risks of infection in both patients and health care workers by good infection control practices is reinforced by Government Legislation in Queensland in the form of the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 and in New South Wales by the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983.

Standard Precautions is a strategy which requires employees to treat the blood and body fluids of all persons as potential sources of infection, independent of diagnosis or perceived risk. It involves the routine wearing of gloves, other protective clothing, hand washing and such infection control measures that are designed to place a barrier between potentially infectious blood or body fluids and employees.

Precautions taken by Northern Pathology Townsville

All collection staff follow these procedures:

• Hand washing and hand care are considered the most important measure in infection control. Our staff will wash their hands before and after direct contact with patients, after any direct contact with blood and body substances, and before and after removal of gloves.
  
  Our staff always wear gloves during the collection of blood and body substances.
  
  Procedures for the safe handling and disposal of sharps are followed. Sharps containers used for the disposal of sharps are clearly marked. Used needles and other sharp instruments are discarded immediately after use.

If you have any questions regarding standard precautions or infection control please ask our collection staff.

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