Case Study Bloodborne Pathogens

Bloodborne Pathogens are pathogenic microorganisms that can eventually cause disease. They are found in human blood and other bodily fluids such as synovial fluid, semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid and any other fluid that mixes or has contact with blood. The bloodborne pathogens are pathogenic, which means they are disease causing, and they are also microorganisms, which means that they are very small so the human eye cannot see them.

In all honesty, I would disregard what the on-site assistants were telling me. I am not sure what time would permit, so I would see the patient and treat that person just like every other patient that walks through that door. If the on-site assistants had an issue with it, I would just explain to them my reasoning and clarify to them that standard precautions are meant to treat all patients as potentially infectious. We do not need to take any further steps to ensure our safety while treating this patient. This patient is a human being, not an

Flames of evolution in patient care have been fanned into a wholesome revolution in the nature of nursing care due to the ever changing healthcare needs and demands of patients. This has led to a paradigm shift from generalized patient care to a patient centered approach. The increase in interaction and individualized patient management has improved healthcare delivery. However, on the flipside, this has not come with new challenges. Healthcare providers are increasingly being exposed to new health hazards as new and sophisticated treatment approaches are developed. Injuries due to sharps are of significance in nursing practice. The International Healthcare Workers Safety Center (2010) reports that an average of 27.97 per 100 licensed beds sharps injuries occurred in 2007 while in 2008 17.2 per 100 licensed beds sharps injuries were recorded. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010), 385,000 healthcare workers are injured due to sharps annually in the United States. This puts the healthcare personnel at risk of contracting infections such as Hepatitis C and B from contaminated objects. In regard to this concept, this paper will explore sharps safety at the clinical site with a view of using evidence based practice to creating awareness on the need for sharps safety in hospital settings.

Germs and many other diseases spread primarily through airborne particles, skin to skin contact, and or touching objects such as door handles, hospital buttons, or by sharing patient possessions. Nurses and other health care clinicians are constantly in physical contact with many different patients, who all have varying illness’ and diseases themselves. Many may also carry a

The standard precautions are implemented at all times to decrease the risk of transmitting infectious agents. Assuming that all patients could carry an infection, this minimises the potential spread of HAI’s. These standard precautions include routine hand hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment, safe handling and disposure of sharps and routine environmental cleaning.4,5 In this situation, where blood is present, this is considered a biohazard. Hand hygiene must be performed before touching the patient, before and after any procedures or exposure to bodily substances and after touching the patient or any of the patient’s surroundings. The use of Personal protective equipment should be used when attending to the patient. This includes protective eye wear, a surgical mask and an apron for protection from any splashes or sprays of blood generated by the patient. Gloves should also be worn for single use only when coming in contact with open skin and bodily fluids. To minimise the spread of blood, the bystander with visibly soiled hands should also be advised to thoroughly clean them with soap and

In relation to Mr Hardy's observations, I would firstly notify the registered nurse if she or

Blood culture (BC) contamination is a common, yet preventable problem for emergency departments (EDs) across the country (Self et al., 2014). Erlanger Hospital’s ED is no different and being the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, it is called to an excellent standard of practice. BC testing is a routinely applied intervention used to diagnose infections in symptomatic patients who arrive at the ED (Denno & Gannon, 2013). BCs are essential as they help identify accurate pathogens and provide targeted antibiotic therapy (Denno & Gannon, 2013). They are often viewed as the standard for diagnosing illnesses such as septicemia and other

After nursing staff enters immunization facts, CommunityWorks tabulates the data into a daily report. The quality department promptly reviews this document to ensure staff is immunizing every patient, unless the patient refuses, or providers determine contraindication. With the current point of care technology, management and nursing have the chance to correct missed patient-care opportunities during the encounter. The final opportunity is at discharge. Therefore, when physicians place discharge orders, a prompt will encourage nursing to complete the immunization administration one last

The hospital is compliant with infection control protocol according to the CDC standard guidelines. “Hand hygiene, contact precautions, as well as cleaning and disinfecting patient care equipment and the patient’s environment are essential strategies for preventing the spread of health care–associated infections. Hand hygiene is addressed in NPSG.07.01.01. Contact precautions for patients with

However, every NSIs carries the risk of getting a life-threatening bloodborne infection such as hepatitis B or C, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Furthermore, the impact can cause emotional turmoil and stress, even though a serious disease is not transmitted, leaving the healthcare practitioner suffering anguish as they wait to determine their health state after injury. According to Wilburn and Eijkemans (2004), NSIs persist to be a severe hazard exposing healthcare providers to lethal bloodborne pathogens. This is in spite of the important advancement in practice, policy, as well as products. About two decades ago, progress has incorporated the execution of general precautions, and has concluded with realisation of needleless as well as safer needle tools (Wilburn & Eijkemans,

Compared to other members of the community of health care nurses are at a significant risk of needle stick injury because of their frequent performance with vein punctures and taking care of patients suffering from different infectious diseases. Needles may cause injury to you or to someone else if they were not properly discarded after use and can also cause an injury if you do not use gloves to protect your hands while you work with needles. If a medical professional gets stuck by a needle, then they need to wash the area thoroughly with soap and contact their healthcare provider as soon as

and determines there is no sign of infiltration or phlebitis. What should the nurse do?

Ms. B.T. is also at risk for pneumonia or flu (e.g.: Risk for infections), because of her inability to cough out secretion. While in the hospital, Ms. B.T was offered flu and pneumonia vaccine that she declined because she feel makes her fall sick. She requires teachings on methods to prevent infections; this includes avoiding to crowded places, and avoiding sick people. Ms. B.T will go home with some prescription medication amongst which include steroids, the nurse teachings will incorporate the importance of periodical blood work performance.

As a hospital, quality care should be a priority for patients that are going to be treated for a sickness, or any type of procedure that is going to take place. A lot of times a patient gets an infection while they were at the hospital, on top of being treated for what they original came in for. Health facilities should be environments of healing, which they are, but they also have tons of various types of germs and infections, which grasp onto individuals that have weak immune systems/are sick. Some infections that are at hospitals are Tuberculosis, VRE, VAP, C-Diff, UTI, and MRSA. Preventive measures to stop the spread of the infections is lacking tremendously in the work and aim to provide safety for all patient’s health. The work

Hospital acquired infections are spread by numerous routes including contact, intravenous routes, air, water, oral routes, and through surgery. The most common types of infections in hospitals include urinary tract infections (32%),