Flu Waiting Room Essay

Many instances have been noted that healthcare providers are bringing the infection to the patients and not the patients bring the infection to the staff. Furthermore, It is well documented that nosocomial infection occurs (Rice, 2010) and hospitalized individuals face more complications and greater mortality from influenza. Healthcare providers are indirectly causing undo harm to patients that are more susceptible to infections such as influenza. “In nursing home settings, vaccination of healthcare workers has been shown to decrease morbidity and mortality among nursing home residents” (Babcock, et al., 2010, p. 459). One study suggests that there is a higher rate of occurrence of influenza among healthcare providers than residents. “In elder-care settings, influenza among staff precedes illness among residents, suggesting that health care workers introduce the virus into the setting” (Anikeeva, Braunack-Mayer, & Rogers, 2009, p. 25).

Medical facilities should not mandate flu vaccines without studies to prove decreases in transmission of the influenza virus. Facilities should continue to promote safe practices to prevent infections of all contagious illnesses.

Awareness  and   availability  will  impact  the  incidence  of  an  outbreak.     The  China  outbreak  was  not   well  understood;  therefore,  preventative  measures  were  not  yet  in  place.  Many  were   exposed  and  infected  but  were  not  developing  clinical  disease,  and  only  seven  of  the   18  cases  had  direct  or  indirect  contact  with  poultry.  Universal  precautions  and   practicing  good  hygiene  is  the  best  way  to  prevent  the  spread  of  influenza.

Over 3 million US cases have occurred per year. The flu is a viral infection that can be deadly if not treated. The flu is extremely contagious, it can spread about six feet away from another person. It may be spread by coughing or sneezing, skin-to-skin contact, saliva, or touching a contaminated surface. Children, elderly people, pregnant women, and people who have chronic disease are at higher risk of becoming ill with this virus. The areas mainly affected are lungs, nose, and chest. Symptoms include fever, chills, sore throat, muscle fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headaches. Some symptoms may appear abruptly. A recommended treatment may primarily deal with the patient getting some rest. Other treatment includes drinking plenty of water; throat Lozenge would be advised for throat pain, decongestant such as Pseudoephedrine for stuffy nose, Dextromethorphan for cough, anti-inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen for mild pain, and antiviral drug like Zanamivir to help treat type B influenza. The best way to be protected is vaccination. The vaccine is offered from September to mid-November. Getting vaccinated before the flu season helps the body develops a strong immunity from the virus. It is safe for a Pregnant woman to receive vaccination. Annual vaccination is recommended. Do not get

To increase patient and hcw safety, health care workers should be mandate to get vaccination. Hcw are more at risk to get infection because of their contact with patient and then to spread it to patients, specially patients who are susceptible to the infection (CITATION). Influenza symptoms appears within 1-4 days. Before even hcw workes know that they have influenza infection and they are contagious, they may spread the infection to patient . Also, if hcw are infected, it will cause impact on their mental and physical functioning. Two randomly conducted studies have supported that mandatory influenza vaccination for hcw helped in decreasing death rate upto 44% in nursing home residents (Ottenberg, 2011). Potter et. al. identified that because of increased staff vaccination mortality rate reduced from 17% to 10% (Suillivan, 2010). The other fact which can effect patient safety due to low rate of vaccination is absenteeism of hcw during influenza epidemic.

Health care governments have endorsed an assortment of vaccination policies and mediations to safeguard against the known dangers of influenza communication, with longer patient stays, absenteeism, intermissions in health care, and death. Studies assessing the consequence of health care workers vaccination found that health care workers influenza vaccination was linked with a decrease in patient death (Murana, 2014). Assessing the results of health care worker influenza vaccination on patient results anticipated that if all health care workers were vaccinated, patient influenza infections could be stopped.

This paper will discuss the communicable disease influenza. It will discuss the causes, symptoms, and treatments, as well as the demographics of interest. It will also discuss the determinants of health and how these factors contribute to the development of influenza. Included in this paper will be information on host, agent, and environmental factors. Lastly it will explain the role of the community health nurse in caring for those affected with influenza and the role they play in education and prevention.

The overall results are presented as a qualitative analysis and it allowed the researchers the opportunity to produce new inputs.

Put used gloves and gown in to yellow infectious waste bin, which should be either just inside the room or outside the door before leaving the room.

Influenza, an innocent little virus that annually comes and goes, has always been a part of people’s lives. Knowing this, one would not believe that it has caused not one, not two, but three pandemics and is on its way to causing a fourth! The Spanish flu of 1918, the Asian flu of 1957, and the Hong Kong

Most people perceive “the flu” to be a common (not a big deal) illness, but they overlook the 20,000 deaths and over 100,000 hospitalizations nationwide.

According to Healthy People 2020 a goal of theirs is to “increase immunization rates and reduce preventable infections.” The influenza virus is one of these preventable infections, which can cause serious harm to patients. The influenza virus is known as the “flu.” Everyone in his or her life has had some experience with the flu, whether that is himself or herself or a family member. What if there was a way to ensure people from contracting a strain of the influenza virus? Well, thanks to technology and medical research there is.

A lot of critical factors drive an influenza pandemic stockpiling. The costs for having influenza pandemic stockpile of drugs is relatively lesser when equated with the amount of chaos and disaster it will be created to humankind worldwide.

Mr. Wright must be placed on airborne precautions to prevent the transmission of this contagious disease. When the patient coughs, the organism spreads through the air. Hence, he must be isolated in a private room and bathroom with negative pressure to prevent the contamination of the air outside his room. A high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter must be in place to clean the contaminated air in the room. The door must be kept closed except when staff or family members enter or exit the room. All healthcare workers entering the room must wear a disposable N95 respirator. They should be fitted for this respirator upon hired; in that way, they will use the appropriate size respirator to prevent exposure to the organism. Visitors should be offered a mask, and be instructed how to use it prior to entering the room. The negative pressure airflow in the room must be daily tested and recorded while it’s been used for airborne precautions. A hospital approved tuberculocidal disinfectant should be used to clean and disinfect the patient’s room and equipment.

The only foolproof way of not getting chicken pox is to avoid being in contact with absolutely anyone who you suspect has it. However, if you are reading this, it means that you are not a complete germaphobe, hypochondriac, or you are a devoted mother, father, wife, husband, or even brother or sister. I don’t know about that last one. If my brother had the chicken pox, and I hadn’t already been through that, of course, I don’t think I’d go anywhere near him!