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Date:
November 21, 1995
Source:
Department of Health
Subject:
Revised Guidelines in the
Management of HIV/AIDS Patients in the Hospital
Text:
The
HIV/AIDS pandemic has been declared a worldwide emergency by the World Health
Organization. This situation has serious health, social, economic and political
implications for all countries. The Philippines is not spared of the problems
brought about by this pandemic as evidenced by the current national statistics
on AIDS.
In
response to the emerging need for standardized procedures in the OPD
consultation and/or hospitalization of HIV/AIDS patients, the Department of
Health through the Hospital Operations and Management Service in collaboration
with the national AIDS/STD Prevention and Control Program issued Administrative
Order No. 27 last March 1994. Since then, the guidelines had been disseminated
to concerned hospitals through orientation seminars, and even through other
training workshops conducted by the national AIDS program.
More
than a year after its issuance, experience in field implementation had gradually
accumulated. With lessons learned, the need for the revision of this guidelines
became evident.
UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS
-
Standard hygienic procedures, especially hand washing,
should be followed at all times.
-
Hospital or medical center guidelines for disinfection
and sterilization should be consulted and followed faithfully.
-
Any skin disease or injury should be adequately protected
with gloves or impermeable dressing to avoid contamination with a patient's
body fluids.
-
Any spills of blood or other potentially contaminated
material should be liberally covered with household bleach (dilution 1 to
10), left for 30 minutes then carefully wiped off by personnel wearing
gloves.
-
Gloves, masks and protective eyewear should be worn
during surgery, childbirth and other procedures that might cause splashing
of blood or body fluids wherever possible.
-
Needles and sharp objects should be discarded in
puncture-proof containers. Do not bend or break needles by hand. Do not
recap used disposable needles.
-
Reusable needles and syringes should be handled with
extreme care and safety stored prior to cleaning and sterilization or
disinfection.
-
Linen soiled with blood or other body fluids should be
handled as little as possible. Gloves and a protective apron should be worn
while handling soiled linen.
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