Interventions for Clients with Infection

Types of Infection  Local  Systemic  Acute  Chronic

Nosocomial Infections  Infections that are associated with the delivery of health care services in a health care facility  Point of origin 1. Endogenous 2. Exogenous 3. Iatrogenic

Risks for Nosocomial Infection  Poor hand washing  Compromised host – surgery/illness  Improper procedure technique – dressing, suctioning, catherization  Improper cleaning/maintenance of invasive devices – foley catheter, IV line  Contamination of closed drainage system – chest tubes

Chain of Infection  Etiologic Agent  Reservoir  Portal of Exit from Reservoir  Method of Transmission  Portal of Entry into Susceptible Host  Susceptible Host

Reservoir  Environmental  Human  Animal/Insect

Method of Transmission  Direct  Indirect Vehicle-borneVector-borne  Airborne

Factors Increasing Susceptibility to Infection  Age  Heredity  Level of stress  Nutritional status  Medications  Illness – acute/chronic

Nursing Diagnosis  Risk for Infection – PRIMARY  Potential Complications of Infection  Impaired Physical Mobility  Imbalanced Nutrition  Acute Pain  Impaired Social Interaction/Social Isolation  Situational Low Self-Esteem  Anxiety

Interventions to Reduce Risk of Infection  Preventing Nosocomial Infections: 1. Hand washing 2. Proper technique 3. Environmental controls 4. Management of clients at risk

Interventions to Reduce Risk of Infection  Supporting Defenses of Susceptible Host: 1. Hygiene 5. Immunizations 2. Nutrition 6. Stress 3. Fluid 4. Rest and sleep

Interventions to Reduce Risk of Infection  Cleaning, Disinfecting, Sterilizing 1. Cleaning inhibits growth of microorganisms 2. Disinfecting with chemicals – bacteriostatic vs. bactericidial 3. Sterilizing – destroys all microorganisms – including spores/viruses – moist heat, gas, boiling water, radiation

Methods of Infection Control  Practice hand hygiene and proper hand washing.  Artificial fingernails create poor hand hygiene.  Gloves should be worn.  The CDC provides guidelines for disinfection and sterilization, outlining standard precautions for all modes of transmission.

Hyperthermia Interventions  Eliminate the underlying cause of hyperthermia and destroy the causative microorganism.  Manage fever by: –Drug therapy: antimicrobial, antipyretic therapy –External cooling, fluid administration, and fans

Health Teaching  Education on these topics is vital to client’s understanding of transmission prevention precautions: –Infection control –Drug therapy –Psychosocial support –Health care resources