Aseptic Technique Benefits:
It helps to prevent infection. Aseptic technique prevents infections by preventing contamination of the skin with germs and bacteria. It also prevents the spread of disease from person to person through direct contact or indirect contact (such as sharing towels). It reduces pain and discomfort. Aseptic technique reduces pain and discomfort because it eliminates the risk of getting infected when cleaning a wound, cutting open a piece of flesh, etc..
It helps to heal wounds faster. Aseptic technique heals wounds faster because it removes dead tissue and other foreign material which may cause infection. It reduces scarring. Aseptic technique reduces scars because it eliminates the risk of getting infected when healing a cut, scrape, burn, bruise or any other type of injury caused by sharp objects such as nails, knives, scissors or broken glass. It aids in weight loss. Aseptic technique assists in weight loss because it eliminates the risk of getting infected when eating food contaminated with harmful microorganisms.
Aseptic technique uses sterile instruments and techniques to perform procedures without touching the patient’s body parts directly. These techniques are generally performed under sterile conditions.
What is asepsis?
Asepsis is the practice of keeping a patient free of germs or bacteria. It is achieved through sterilization and sterilisation. A sterile item is one that has been treated to remove all living organisms, including the immune-system killing smallpox virus.
What is sterile?
Sterile means free of life, especially bacteria and other microorganisms.
But how can you be sure that something is sterile?
There are a few different ways to know if something is sterile, such as growing a culture inside the material or using a chemical indicator like tetrazolium chloride which turns from blue to colourless when it comes into contact with bacteria.
All materials used during surgery should be sterile and any instruments that enter a sterile area of the body should also be sterile. This means all medical staff working in the area must also be wearing sterile clothing and using sterile instruments.
Making sure instruments and equipment are sterile is very important for doctor’s, dentists, vets and nurses. It is also used in the food industry to keep kitchens and food preparation areas free from harmful microorganisms.
What can you use asepsis for?
Asepsis is used by many types of professionals to prevent the spread of disease between people. This includes medical professionals, food industry workers and people working in hospitals.
Asepsis is useful in a number of different medical situations. Many medical professionals use asepsis techniques to prevent infection spreading from one person to another. For instance, if an operation is taking place within a sterile field, then care can be taken not to touch any instruments, including the surgeon’s hands, without first placing them on the field. This prevents the spread of bacteria from one operation to another.
Sources & references used in this article:
ANTT: a standard approach to aseptic technique. by S Rowley, S Clare – Nursing times, 2011 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
ANTT v2: an updated practice framework for aseptic technique by S Rowley, S Clare, S Macqueen… – British Journal of …, 2010 – magonlinelibrary.com
A nursing practice problem: failure to observe aseptic technique by C McLane, S Chenelly, ML Sylwestrak… – American journal of …, 1983 – Elsevier
Aseptic technique: evidence-based approach for patient safety by RM Preston – British Journal of Nursing, 2005 – magonlinelibrary.com
Using an aseptic technique to reduce the risk of infection by S Hart – Nursing Standard (through 2013), 2007 – search.proquest.com
Variations in aseptic technique and implications for infection control by A Marie Aziz – British Journal of Nursing, 2009 – magonlinelibrary.com
