Question

Discuss some of the dangers involved in the practice and how a community or public health nurse can educate the public about keep their leftover medication

Answer 1

Answer: There is always a risk in every profession a well as most in healthcare profession. As a healthare professional there is always risk of many things such as Needle Stick Injuries , these accidental pricks, which affect primarily nurses prior to or during needle disposal in the operating room, can lead to a variety of bloodborne illnesses including Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV).

Infection From Bodily Fluids is the most common risk as many patients suffer from various major illness and nurse has to take care of them, so the chances of getting infected is more through the body fluids.

Inhalation is one of the major risk as breathing among the infectious patient can cause major illness and may transmit many of the disease.

Public health nurse should educate the public about the left over medication because many of the times people can intake some of the medicine without prescription which may lead to many problems for them. They should be educated about the disposal of the medicine such as by mixing the medicine (do not crush tablets or capsules) with an unpalatable substance such as dirt, kitty litter, or used coffee grounds. Then place the mixture in a container such as a zip-top or sealable plastic bag, and throw the container away in household trash.