WHEN:
Immediately before a procedure. Once hand hygiene has been performed, nothing else in the patient’s environment should be touched prior to the procedure starting.
WHY:
To protect the patient from potential pathogens (including their own) from entering their body during a procedure.
in detail:
| Insertion of a needle into a patient’s skin, or into an invasive medical device | Venipuncture, Blood glucose level, Arterial blood gas, Subcutaneous or Intramuscular injections, IV flush |
| Preparation and administration of any medications given via an invasive medical device, Preparation of a sterile field | IV medication, NGT feeds, PEG feeds, Baby NG feeds, Dressing trolley set up |
| Administration of medications where there is direct contact with mucous membranes | Eye drop instillation, Suppository insertion, Vaginal pessary |
| Insertion of, or disruption to, the circuit of an invasive medical device | Procedures involving the following: ETT, Tracheostomy, Nasopharyngeal airways, Suctioning of airways, Urinary catheter, Colostomy/ileostomy, Vascular access systems, Invasive monitoring devices, Wound drains, PEG tubes, NGT, Secretion aspiration |
| Any assessment, treatment and patient care where contact is made with non-intact skin or mucous membranes. | Wound dressings, Burns dressings, Surgical procedures, Digital rectal examination, invasive obstetric and gynaecological examinations and procedures, Digital assessment of newborn palate |
