Principles of asepsis 1: the rationale for using aseptic technique

Abstract

Aseptic technique is a core competency for many nurses. This article, the first in a two-part series, describes the principles of asepsis and part 2 will describe the procedure for changing a simple wound dressing.

This article has been double-blind peer reviewed

In this article…

• The importance of asepsis to prevent healthcare-associated infections

• Difference between medical and surgical asepsis

• The underpinning principles of asepsis

Key points

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The term asepsis means the absence of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms

Aseptic technique is used to achieve asepsis in order to prevent the transfer of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms to a susceptible site

Medical asepsis aims to reduce the number of organisms and prevent their spread by use of standard principles of infection prevention

An aseptic technique is required for many clinical interventions including wound dressing, peripheral cannula or other vascular access device insertion

Prevention of infection can help to reduce the requirement for antimicrobial prescribing