Final answer:
Medical asepsis aims to reduce pathogen transmission through practices like handwashing and disinfection, while surgical asepsis achieves a sterile environment to prevent microbial contamination during surgery.
Step-by-step explanation:
Medical asepsis is a practice in healthcare to reduce the number and transmission of pathogens. This includes using techniques like handwashing and disinfection procedures to maintain a clean environment. Conversely, surgical asepsis, or sterility, involves protocols to eliminate all microbial life, including spores, before and during surgical procedures. In an ambulatory care setting, maintaining a sterile field is critical for any invasive procedures to prevent health care-associated infections, such as those introduced via contaminated medical equipment like ventilators or intubation tools.
Joseph Lister's historical contributions to aseptic surgical techniques, such as the use of carbolic acid disinfectant, laid the groundwork for the stringent cleanliness protocols in modern surgery. The protocols for creating and maintaining a sterile environment include, but are not limited to, strict handwashing, the use of sterilized materials, and the application of sterilants. In addition, surgical scrubbing is performed more rigorously compared to regular handwashing to significantly reduce the skin's normal microbiota, preventing their introduction into the surgical wounds.