Policy Manual sample

MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Specialized clothing or equipment worn by a health care worker for protection against a hazard. Sharps with engineered sharps injury protections means a nonneedle sharp or a needle device used for withdrawing body fluids, accessing a vein or artery, or administering medications or other fluids, with a built-in safety feature or mechanism that effectively reduces the risk of an exposure incident. Source individual - Any individual, living or dead, whose body fluids, tissues, or organs may be a source of exposure to the health care worker. Examples include but are not limited to: home health and hospice clients, hospital and clinic patients, clients in institutions for the developmentally disabled, trauma patients, clients of drug and alcohol treatment facilities, residents of hospices and nursing homes, human remains and individuals who donate or sell blood or blood components. Sterilize - The use of physical or chemical procedure to destroy all microbial life including highly resistant bacterial endospores. Universal Precautions - A method of infection control in which all human blood and body fluid are treated as if known to be infectious for HIV, HBV and other bloodborne pathogens. Unvaccinated employee - an exposed worker (employee) who has not been immunized with a Hepatitis B vaccine, or an employee who had a negative HBsAB when tested after receiving the Hepatitis B vaccine. Vaccinated employee - an exposed worker (employee) who has received the Hepatitis B vaccine and has documented antibody response. V. EXPOSURE DETERMINATION To determine exposure categories for health care workers who may experience occupational exposure to blood and other potentially infectious body fluids. The following list is a guideline of positions and occupations which pose a risk of occupational exposure to blood and other potentially infectious body fluids. A. Job classification in which all home care field workers have occupational exposure: A. Skilled Nurses C. Supervisors E. Occupational Therapists G. Respiratory Therapists B. Home Health Aides D. Physical Therapists F. Speech Therapists H. Administrators (nurse) B. Job classifications in which home care workers have some occupational exposure: A. Social Workers D. Couriers* G. Security J. Companions B. Clerical* E. Volunteers H. Students K. Sitters M. Administrators (non- nurse) C. Housekeeping F. Chaplin I. Homemakers L. Dieticians * Our Agency determine that this job classifications have no risk of occupational exposure, the office employee are in contact with field staff that are already cleared by MD Certificate to be free of communicable disease. The above lists are not meant to be all inclusive but are representative of those jobs which could reasonably anticipate occupational exposure. VI. METHODS OF COMPLIANCE Universal Precautions, Engineering and Work Practice Control, Personal Protective Equipment and Environment. A. UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS Home Health Agency Nursing Care & Procedures K-187