...14, 2012 Emily Gruendler In this paper it discusses how a group of nursing home administrators and an infection control officer has to come together and chose and try to make decisions together and try to bring down the infection rate in the nursing home. Nursing home administrators may have patient care or services duties. Some are involved in teaching, research, or other professional activities. These are the duties of nursing home administrators in which they all work together to come up with a decision and how they care for patients in the facility. This shows how nursing home administrators and try to resolve an infection problem in the nursing home together with the help of an infection control officer that’s trying to get the infection rate down in the nursing home. Discuss how an infection control officer will help the nursing home administrators come up with a decision to help lower the rate of infection in the nursing home. An officer that is in control of infection duties is to keep the health facilities and fire departments up –to- date on infections in the nursing homes. The representative for infection at healthcare offices and other healthcare facilities should be notified whenever an infection rate goes up in the nursing home they should be notified immediately to find out what the problem is to reduce the infection rate, so they can work with the nursing administrators to make important decisions. They also make sure that the appropriate exposure...
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...INDENTIFY ONE EPISODE OF CARE WHICH INVOLVES MEETING A PATIENTS INFECTION CONTROL NEEDS. This essay will discuss an episode of care given by myself under the supervision of a registered nurse. I will be discussing a clinical procedure that I have become competent in practising, however I will be focusing on the infection control needs around the procedure as well as the professional and ethical practice of infection control. The patient I shall be referring to shall be known as Patient A, this is to meet the nursing and midwifery code of conduct to protect the patient’s identity and to maintain confidentiality (NMC 2008). (LO 1.8) Patient A is an elderly gentleman living within a residential home, doctors are unable to resolve his underlying medical conditions of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (CoPD), Heart Failure and Malignancy, which together resulted in him suffering from recurrent Pleural effusion. A Pleural Effusion is an accumulation of fluid in the chest cavity (Rocket 2012) this area normally contains a small amount of Pleural fluid and aids for optimal function of the lungs during respiration (rocket, 2012). However, Patients A’s conditions interfere with the body’s natural ability to reabsorb the fluid, which results in a larger amount of fluid building up, which in turn made the patient have serve breathing difficulties. Doctors decided rather than submitting Patient A for repeated procedures they inserted an Indwelling Pleural Catheter (IPC) into...
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...Following correct infection control procedures in care homes is critical. Not only are infections spread easily in contained environments such as nursing care homes, or hospitals, or schools, but care home residents are often susceptible to infections. That's because they are very often elderly, suffering from medical conditions that may affect their immunity, they may have open wounds from surgery, be fed via tube or have an IV. All of which present potential sites for infection. If two or more people (residents or staff) in the same care home get the same infection, then it is classified as an outbreak. As such, all nursing care staff have the responsibility to observe correct infection control procedure at all times. Responsibility of Care Home Staff All care home staff have a responsibility to contribute towards effective infection control in the care home setting. This means observing infection control procedures and protecting your own health, as well as that of your residents. If you’re caring for sick or vulnerable residents and you come to work unwell, you could potentially pass on your illness to those you’re caring for. If you are unwell, it is best to stay away from work until well after your symptoms have cleared. You may still be able to infect others even if you no longer feel unwell. Hand Hygiene Infections are easily transmitted between people if poor hand hygiene is observed. Even if your hands look clean, they could still be covered in bacteria and other...
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...Research Study Introduction The qualitative research study that I chose to critique is on infections related to Nursing home-acquired pneumonia. Pneumonia care and the nursing home: a qualitative descriptive study of resident and family member perspectives. Soo Chan Carusone,1 Mark Loeb,1,2 and Lynne Lohfeld1,3 1Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada2Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Canada 3Program for Educational Research and Development, McMaster University, Canada Corresponding author. Soo Chan Carusone: chansy@mcmaster.ca; Mark Loeb: loebm@mcmaster.ca; Lynne Lohfeld: lohfeld@mcmaster.ca Received September 19, 2005; Accepted January 23, 2006. Pneumonia is the inflammation of the lung parenchyma, build up fluid in the tissue of the lungs and then this infection spread in to whole body. The causes are mainly by Viruses, Bacteria, often caused by parasites or fungi. Pneumonia is the 5th leading cause of death in elderly. It may be unrecognized due to many factors such as it may be asymptomatic, or may be confused with other medical Pneumonia and other lower respiratory infections occur frequently among older adults residing in long-term care facilities. These infections are the most common reason for why residents are transferred to hospital. Such transfer is not only a frightening experience for these seniors, but may also...
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...URINARY TRACT INFECTION Elizabeth Quartey Abstract According to the CDC estimates in 2002 there were 1.7 million Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI), and 99,000 HAI- associated deaths in the hospital. The report stated that the four largest categories of HAI, responsible for more than 80% of all reported HAI, are central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI, 14%), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP, 15%), surgical site infections (SSI, 22%), and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI, 32%). HAI are a great financial costs to health care facilities. The Centers for disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the medical cost of HAI in the U.S. hospitals as $6.65 billion in 2007, and that number has increased to almost $10 billion a year currently. Statement and Significance of the Problem One in 20 patients who are admitted to a hospital will be a victim to an infectious agent they are exposed to during their hospitalization according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (Goodman, Brenda, 201, Hospital-Acquired Infections cost $10 Billion a year). The five most common infections are surgical site infections, infections associated with the use of devices like central lines, catheters, ventilators and clostridium dificile are costing the health care System in the USA almost $10 billion a year to treat. In the article Vitamin D has the potential to reduce the risk of Hospital-Acquired Infections, the writer...
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...Approaches to Decision Making Cheryl Tyler 11/16/14 HCA 250 Melodie Griffin I chose scenario 2 as a subject of my paper. The nursing home needs to follow a certain protocol when it comes to cleaning. Nursing homes need to keep a low infection rate because of the fact that elderly individuals have a low immune system and may not bounce back as quickly after getting sick. It is important that not only the patients but the facility are taking care of. In this scenario the nursing administrators are having a meeting to discuss ways to reduce infection within the facility. This is the best possible way to come to a solution since they have been having a higher infection rate lately. The first thing to do is find out why and how the infection is spreading as well as to how fast it is spreading. This step is needed in order to find the cause or host of the problem in order to control the issue. The administrators will have to determine a budget of cost also. Infectious control can be costly so determining how much money they are spending on it is a must in order to stay in budget. Infections spread for many reasons and in many ways. If the patients are not getting the proper care then infections can spread. Which is why the administrators will have to make sure that all employees are doing their jobs both with patient care and housekeeping. Administrators need to ensure that all patients are getting the best quality of care. In order to do this employees need to be screened...
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...Agent Policy Paper Risk Management is defined as policies and procedures put in place to enhance infection control, patient safety, and quality of service. In healthcare there is always the risk of something getting out of hand and hurting a patient or even the staff of the facility. My facility is a Nursing Home/ Long-Term Care Facility about 2/3 of the residents are just elderly people suffering from ailing health, dementia, or Alzheimer’s. The other 1/3 is post-op recovery patients that need some where to recover before they head home; the average recovery time is 6-8 weeks. My facility has no one person dedicated to Risk Management. The closest we have is an Infection Control Nurse who is responsible for ensuring that no outbreaks of any sort happen and if it does happen it is her responsibility to ensure that the outbreak is contained as well. The Infection Control Nurse is also tasked with administering and keeping updated all records of TB tests. Upon asking her, I was informed that the current standards and policies were given to us during our initial employee orientation. My role as a Respiratory Therapist it falls to me to assist all the new patients as they come into our facility to determine their respiratory needs. Also in case of any code situation, it is the responsibility of the on-duty RT to take charge and stabilize the patient until Emergency Medical Services arrives and then transfer custody of the patient to EMS to deliver them to Emergency Department...
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...Clostridium Difficlie, also known as C diff, is a bacterium infection that has symptoms of diarrhea but can also have life threatening inflammation of the colon (staff, 2012). C. diff most commonly affects older adults primarily those that are hospitalized or in a long term care setting (staff, 2012). “An epidemic of Clostridium difficle in the United States is now killing some 12,000 patients annually, in part because neither alcohol rubs nor soap and water used in the vast majority of hospitals can effectively remove the spore-forming bacillus from the hands of health care workers, researchers are finding” (Hand hygiene woes impact C.diff response, 2010,pg 76).Let’s explore Clostridium difficle a little, how it is transmitted, the environmental factors, standard treatments and ways to help prevent the spread of Clostridium Difficlie. Clostridium Difficlie bacteria are passed in feces and thru food, they are also on surfaces or objects where people fail to wash their hands when they are infected. These bacteria spores can last in a room for weeks or even months so if you touch an infected surface you can unknowingly ingest the bacteria (staff, 2012). Normally healthy people don’t get sick from the bacteria because your body contains many types of bacteria that will fight off the infection. However, many people get C. diff following a treatment with antibiotics. “The antibiotics that most often lead to C. difficle infections include fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, clindamycin and...
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...Hand Washing Nursing school/intervention August 3, 2011 To eliminate and prevent infection there are several precautions that one needs to follow no matter what your job is, in any healthcare facility. In order to prevent infection the following elements are important standard precaution factors; hand washing, gloves, masks, gowns, appropriate device handling and laundry. The standard precautions means that you must treat all patients as potentially infectious, which apply to all human blood, body fluids, secretions and excretions, non-intact skin and mucous membranes. The most effective, least expensive and simplest way to prevent the spread of infection is by washing your hands. A good reason to wash your hands is the growth and reproduction of bacteria. Bacteria reproduce by a process known as “binary fission.” Each cell of bacteria grows to its maximum size and then divides in the middle to form two new cells of bacteria. “The time required for this growth will take place amount to about 15 to 30 minutes. In only 8 hours, one bacteria cell can multiply to more than 3 billion cells in size, but more importantly, we aren't dealing with just one cell, there are many bacteria cells. Unclean hands alone can be responsible for 500 to 1000 bacteria’s.”(Infection Control Orientation) This is why so much emphasis is placed on good frequent hand washing. Hand washing should be done after interacting with all patients whether or not gloves are worn. You should always...
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...Professional Mission Statement A. The function of a regulatory organization like the state board of nursing differs immensely from the role of a professional organization like American Nurses Association (ANA). The ultimate goal of the board of nursing (BON) is to protect the public or patient. The main goal of a professional organization like ANA is to promote the overall growth of the nursing profession, (Nursingworld, 2012). The BON functionally develops policies, rules and regulations that govern the nursing profession. It sets standards for the practice of nursing, and interprets and enforces those standards through the practice act, and takes actions against the licenses of nurses who indulge in unsafe practices, (GBON, 2016). The BON also oversees the administration of nursing exams for licensure and accredits and approves nursing education programs. For example when I chose nursing as a profession, I had to investigate and research and make sure I attend a State approved nursing school so I could take my licensure exams to practice as a nurse after graduation. If one does not do due diligence to ensure they are getting education from a nursing accredited and state approved program then they cannot take licensure exams after graduation and therefore cannot practice as nurse. The BON also investigates any complaints made against nurses in their professional role and if found guilty of violating the law, it brings a disciplinary action against the nurse. So if for...
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...PR ACTICE STAndARd Infection Prevention and Control Table of Contents Introduction Standard Statements Application of evidence-based measures Application of professional judgment Risk reduction Communication Maintaining a Quality Practice Setting Case Scenarios Appendix Glossary of Clinical Terms References 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 8 9 11 12 OuR MISSIOn is to protect the public’s right to quality nursing services by providing leadership to the nursing profession in self-regulation. OuR vISIOn is excellence in nursing practice everywhere in Ontario. Infection Prevention and Control ISBN 1-897074-32-8 Pub. No. 41002 Copyright © College of Nurses of Ontario, 2009. Commercial or for-profit redistribution of this document in part or in whole is prohibited except with the written consent of CNO. This document may be reproduced in part or in whole for personal or educational use without permission, provided that: • Due diligence is exercised in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced; • CNO is identified as the source; and • The reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made in affiliation with, or with the endorsement of, CNO. First published February 1996 as Infection Control Guidelines (ISBN 1-894557-33-6) Reprinted January 2000, October 2000, revised for Web June 2003, reprinted January 2004 as Infection Control (ISBN 1-894557-44-1) Revised June 2004, December 2005. Reprinted May 2008 (ISBN 1-897074-32-8)...
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...influence opens the eyes to a new perspective. Looking at communities through the eyes of a nurse creates an assessment all its’ own. Analyzing the events and conditions people live in tells a lot about the person. The nurse can reflect on the surroundings and develop an opinion regarding the patient. The difficulties the community can impose create negative outcomes and or can be productive for the patient; this is revealed in the assessment surrounding the patient. The historical area of the community does have down falls. The paint that was used in the era of older homes and apartments contain lead. Lead, a contaminate to children in the home, school or business is a concern for the community and the nurse. The lead would give the nursing diagnosis of, Risk for Contamination (Household Lead Exposure). Lead exposure in apartments, schools and playground equipment are primary sites for exposure. Nursing interventions would consist of ongoing screening program for lead levels of individuals, agency notification of levels, decrease the exposure to minimize the risk, relocate families to a safe environment, and educate the high-risk people about lead exposure (Polk & Green, 2007). OSHA has standards set in place to regulate the levels of lead exposure. They mandate that areas of lead paint must be removed and for a cleaner environment of the community. The city and state enforce the regulations in communities. Groups within the community organize individuals from the community...
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...Approaches to Decision Making Desiree Bennett HCA/250 2/9/2013 Wakita Bradford I choose scenario number 2 to write about which involves a nursing home. This case incorporates a number of nursing home managers, including an infection control official. There has been a rise of contamination rates in the nursing home. It is very important to maintain the contamination rates as low as possible; one reason is with higher rates may cause the patients to have more health problems. If the nursing home continues to have higher contamination rates they might also get penalties. The nursing home managers are likely to talk about possible decisions in a conference to decrease contamination in the center. There are several making decisions methods the administrators may use to come to a decision in connection with this case which was provided. A non-programmed decision would be required in this case since it needs a customized solution. Though, any security rules together with any plans which the nursing home has ought to be followed. Administration in the nursing home must incorporate a few decisions like scheduling, arranging, leading, and managing. One more method might be to use a systematic method in this case. There are several reasons that group making decisions is much better in many instances compared to one which is made by one person. Group decisions may provide the required input/ information to assist generates more options to have the correct decision. In...
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...costs will be fully or partially covered. Mrs. Zwick’s has Medicare A, Medicare B, and Medicare D. According to Medicare’s coverage guidelines, her stay in the hospital and the skilled nursing home stay will be covered by Medicare Part A. The walker that she needs will also be covered by Medicare Part A. All of the doctor’s visits in the hospital and the skilled nursing home will be covered by Medicare Part B. All test done in the nursing home or hospital such as lab test, X-rays, etc. will be covered by Medicare Part B. Any physical therapy needed in the skilled nursing home for rehabilitation will be covered by Medicare Part B. All the medications that Mrs. Zwick is going home on and when hospitalized will be covered by Medicare Part D. The urinary tract infection treatment will not be covered by Medicare. It is considered a hospital acquired infection. Hospital acquired infections in Medicare’s eyes are preventable. B. Explain how Medicare policies would affect reimbursement for the additional care Mrs. Zwick needed when she developed a hospital-acquired infection. Discuss the ethical implications of Mrs. Zwick’s incurring costs related to her hospital-acquired condition. The only thing that will not be covered by Medicare is the treatment of her hospital acquired infection. It is considered a preventable condition, so Medicare refuses to pay for it. Medicare is requiring the hospital to pay for it and not the patient. This policy is called the “Never Event”...
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...Professional Dynamics NSG-430V April 7, 2013 Nurses with a Baccalaureate in nursing education versus Associate Degree in nursing education are prepared to deliver a higher standard of patient care. The differences in the core curriculum of the baccalaureate program set it above the associate degree program giving the nurse who holds a BSN better critical thinking skills The BSN educated nurse has a broader base of education in such areas as the fine arts, as well as important nursing courses that emphasize evidence-based practice. BSN educated nurses are also taught leadership skills, management skills and nursing theory. To understand the differences in competencies between nurses prepared at the associate degree level versus the baccalaureate level requires at least a short review of the history of the development and introduction of the associate degree program (ADN). Of importance is when the ADN Program was introduced and the reason it was introduced. In the mid-1940’s the BSN Programs that had been in existence for 60 years were responsible for graduating about 15% of the new nurses. The remaining graduates came from the Diploma programs that had been in existence for 100 years. The ADN Program was introduced after World War II as a result of the severe nursing shortage during that time. The concept was initially explored by the faculty of Teacher’s College, Columbia University and spearheaded...
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