| A | B |
|---|
| body substance isolation (BSI) | An infection control concept and practice that assumes that all body fluids are potentially infectious. |
| burnout | A condition of chronic fatigue and frustration that results from mounting stress over time. |
| carrier | An animal or person who is infected with and may transmit an infectious disease but may not display any symptoms of it; also known as a vector. |
| communicable disease | Any disease that can be spread from person to person, or from animal to person. |
| contagious disease | An infectious disease that is capable of being transmitted from one person to another. |
| contamination | The presence of infectious organisms on or in objects such as dressings, water, food, needles, wounds, or a patient''s body. |
| cover and concealment | The tactical use of an impenetrable barrier to conceal EMS personnel and protect them from projectiles (eg, bullets, bottles, rocks). |
| critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) | A confidential peer group discussion of a severely stressful incident that usually occurs within 24 to 72 hours of the incident. |
| critical incident stress management (CISM) | A process that confronts the responses to critical incidents and defuses them, directing the emergency services personnel toward physical and emotional equilibrium. |
| designated officer | The individual in the department who is charged with the responsibility of managing exposures and infection control issues. |
| direct contact | Exposure or transmission of a communicable disease from one person to another by physical contact. |
| exposure | A situation in which a person has had contact with blood, body fluids, tissues, or airborne particles in a manner that suggests that disease transmission may occur. |
| exposure control plan | A comprehensive plan that helps employees to reduce their risk of exposure to or acquisition of communicable diseases. |
| general adaptation syndrome | The body''s three-stage response to stress. First, stress causes the body to trigger an alarm response, followed by a stage of reaction and resistance, and then recovery, or if the stress is prolonged, exhaustion. |
| hepatitis | Inflammation of the liver, usually caused by a viral infection, that causes fever, loss of appetite, jaundice, fatigue, and altered liver function. |
| herpes simplex | Infections caused by human herpesviruses 1 and 2, characterized by small blisters whose location depend on the type of virus. Type 2 results in blisters on the genital area, while type 1 results in blisters in nongenital areas. |
| HIV infection | Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The virus can cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). |
| Host | The organism or individual that is attacked by the infecting agent. |
| indirect contact | Exposure or transmission of disease from one person to another by contact with a contaminated object (vehicle). |
| infection | The abnormal invasion of a host or host tissues by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, or parasites, with or without signs or symptoms of disease. |
| infection control | Procedures to reduce transmission of infection among patients and health care personnel. |
| infectious disease | A disease that is caused by infection, in contrast to one caused by faulty genes, metabolic or hormonal disturbances, trauma, or something else. |
| meningitis | Inflammation of the meninges that cover the spinal cord and the brain. |
| Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) | The federal regulatory compliance agency that develops, publishes, and enforces guidelines concerning safety in the workplace. |
| pathogen | A microorganism that is capable of causing disease in a susceptible host. |
| personal protective equipment (PPE) | Protective equipment that OSHA requires to be made available to the EMT. In the case of infection risk, PPE blocks entry of an organism into the body. |
| posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | A delayed stress reaction to a prior incident. This delayed reaction is often the result of one or more unresolved issues concerning the incident. |
| SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) | Potentially life-threatening viral infection that usually starts with flu-like symptoms. |
| transmission | The way in which an infectious agent is spread: contact, airborne, by vehicles, or by vectors. |
| tuberculosis | A chronic bacterial disease, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, that usually affects the lungs but can also affect other organs such as the brain or kidneys. |
| universal precautions | Protective measures that have traditionally been developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for use in dealing with objects, blood, body fluids, or other potential exposure risks of communicable disease. |
| virulence | The strength or ability of a pathogen to produce disease. |
