Infectious diseases are transmitted in many different ways.
Medical and surgical asepsis and various techniques and
procedures for sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing instruments,
equipment, and surfaces all help prevent disease
transmission. Specific transmission methods dictate
which approaches work best for which diseases. The focus
of this chapter has been blood-borne transmission.
The transmission of blood-borne pathogens is a particular
concern for medical assistants as well as for people
in many other professions. The pathogens that pose the
greatest risk are HIV, HBV, and HCV. Infection with these
pathogens can result in death or chronic disease.
Your role as a medical assistant is to help prevent the
spread of such infectious diseases. The preventive measures
you will take at work include following Universal
Precautions, watching patients for signs of infectious diseases,
and educating patients about the risk factors associated
with blood-borne diseases. Information about infectious diseases changes constantly.
You can best serve your patients and your employer
if you keep up-to-date on research, advances in
treatment, and general information. Your efforts with patient
education may include information about preventive
measures, drug trials, follow-up care, and hospices for terminally
ill patients. |