Question

Explain, using 2 different examples, why you think nurses are important in preventing the spread of infection.

2. Using one link in the chain of infection explain how the nurse may break the link. Provide 2 separate examples.

3. a. Provide 2 different examples of health care-associated infections that a patient might acquire. .

b. What could the nurse have done to prevent them? .

4. As a student nurse how do think an outbreak in a facility may affect you?

Answer 1

1. Why nurses are important in preventing the spread of infection?

Example 1 :- A nurse has performed a wound care for a patient ,she just removed the gloves but didnot wash her hands and she attended another patient who called for assistance in activities of daily living.Hand washing is the primary tool in preventing spread of infections.

Example 2:-A nurse changes the linen of a patient who is under strict contact precaution because of multidrug-resistant organism , she kept the linen in the common utility without separating and labelling it . Proper linen management is important in preventing the spread of infection.

2. Using one link in the chain of transmission how nurse can break the chain?

In Mode of transmission of infection nurses can break the link of infection by proper hand washing, use of proper personal protective equipments, proper environmental cleaning, proper maintenance of standard and isolation precautions.

Example 1:-a nurse applies standard precautions for all patients.eg:-hand washing,use of gloves ,mask and gown if required.

Example 2:-cleaning and disinfection of medical equipments like cardiac monitors, infusion pump and other patient care equipments will prevent the mode of transmission of infection.

3.a, examples of healthcare associated infection patient might acquire are catheter associated urinary tract infections, ventilator associated pneumonia, Central line associated bloodstream infections, surgical site infections etc.

b, Proper hand hygiene is important in reducing healthcare acquired infections. Environmental hygiene is a key point in preventing hospital acquired infections. Contaminated hospital settings play an important role in the transmission of infections especially multidrug resistant organisms. Screening and co-herting (keep patients having infection with same micro organisms ) will prevent the spread of infection. To prevent catheter associated urinary tract infection, we should daily assess the need of catheter, to keep the urinary bag under gravity, use separate containers for each patient to empty the urinary bag. To avoid bloodstream infection like Central line associated bloodstream infections, we should remove the central line once it's no more needed, change the iv tubings and three ways connected to the central line every 72 hourly, keep proper adhesive dressing at the central line site, ventilator associated pneumonia can be prevented by weaning the patient from ventilator as soon as patient is able to tolerate , maintain head elevation of > 45 degree,proper suctioning of secretions. To avoid surgical site infections we should maintain proper dressing, prophylactic antibiotic therapy etc.

4. Student nurses in a facility where an outbreak is occur will be having anxiety regarding the situation, sometimes they will not be having enough knowledge regarding the outbreak and how to prevent the spread . They need to take much care compared to other registerd nurses ,because the RN there are properly trained to handle the situation.