This glossary was created with input from members of PICNet, PHAC Infection Control Guidelines and the BC Ministry of Health. A list of references is available here. Definitions will be updated frequently and may change or be removed. Please send us your comments and feedback by email to picnet@phsa.ca.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Safer Engineered Devices: A device designed to reduce the incidence of needlestick injuries and potential exposure of HCPs to bloodborne pathogens. For instance, an “active” safety device, e.g. syringe with needle guard, requires that the operator actively engage the safety feature to ensure its proper function whereas a “passive” safety device, e.g. recessed or protected needle, is one that requires no action on the part of a HCP to ensure protection and is usually in effect throughout the use of the device (10).
Sanitation: A process that reduces microorganisms on an inanimate object to a safe level, e.g. dishes and eating utensils are sanitized (8).
Semicritical Items: Devices that come in contact with nonintact skin or mucous membranes but ordinarily do not penetrate them. Reprocessing semicritical items involves meticulous cleaning followed preferably by high-level disinfection (level of disinfection required is dependent on the item) (8).
Sharps: Needles, syringes, blades, laboratory glass or other objects capable of causing punctures or cuts (8).
Sharps Injury: Injuries caused by percutaneous injuries or cuts (9).
Source: The person, animal, objects, or substance from which an infectious agent passes to a host (10).
Sterilization: The destruction of all forms of microbial life including bacteria, viruses, spores, and fungi. Items must be cleaned thoroughly before effective sterilization can take place (8).
Surveillance: Systematic, ongoing collection, collation, and analysis of health-related information that is communicated in a timely manner to all who need to know which health problems require action. Surveillance is a central feature of epidemiological practice, where it is used to control disease. Information that is used for surveillance comes from many sources, including reported cases of communicable diseases, hospital admissions, laboratory reports, cancer registries, population surveys, reports of absence from school or work, and reported causes of death. (19)
Susceptible: An individual not possessing sufficient resistance against a particular pathogenic agent to prevent contracting infection or disease when exposed to the agent; synonymous with non-immune (10).
Symptomatic: Presenting symptoms compatible with an infectious process before a definitive diagnosis is made. See also infection (10).
Syndrome: a group of symptoms and signs that tend to appear together and collectively characterize a disorder. (11)
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