Final answer:
Proper post-specimen collection involves wearing protective clothing, treating skin contact with disinfectants, and disposing of contaminated waste with incineration or autoclaving. Disinfection protocols must be followed for cleaning equipment and work areas, and careful handling of lab media is essential.
Step-by-step explanation:
After specimen collection, it is critical to follow proper procedures to ensure safety and prevent contamination or infection. All personnel must wear protective clothing, including a coat, face protection, and cut-resistant gloves, during specimen handling. If any skin contact occurs with potentially infectious material, it must be washed with detergent and warm water, followed by a disinfecting wash with 1 N NaOH or a bleach solution for at least one minute.
Following the procedure, all contaminated waste must be treated properly. This typically involves incineration or autoclaving, which are methods to destroy biological hazards. All instruments used during the procedure should be thoroughly cleaned and soaked in a strong basic solution. This ensures that no infectious agents remain on the tools that could potentially harm someone or contaminate future specimens.
Additional steps include ensuring the work area is disinfected before and after specimen handling. Accidental spills of bacterial cultures should be saturated with disinfectant, covered with paper towels, and allowed to sit before cleanup. Long hair should be pulled back, lab benches cleared, and any lab media such as pipettes that come into contact with sterile areas must be handled with care to prevent contamination. Finally, after documentation processes, including verifying instrument and needle counts as well as labeling specimens, bed rails and other equipment must be properly sanitized following the use of disinfection protocols specific to the institution or lab.