The role of the infection control nurse has expanded and assumed the weight of other specialties in the process. Some nursing theorists and analysts believe infection control is slowly phasing out of the nursing domain. Many nurses, facilities, and corporations have not erased the idea and role of the infection control nurse due to the critical need of their expertise and regulation of workplace adherence to policy and procedure. While many believe that an infection control nurse is not essential to today’s nursing, their role in today’s nursing cannot be expunged.
Often called as Nurse Infection Preventionist or Infection Control Specialist, a facility may assign an Infection Control Nurse to act as the coordinator or leader of an Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Program. In
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where nurses work to treat infections in people from different settings. While evaluating and treating patients with infectious diseases, many infection control nurses work on special projects and studies that have a direct impact on the comprehensive care that a facility provides. In response to their findings, the work an infection control nurse compiles and concludes with help their facility be in compliance and up to date with the changing strains of infections. The role of an infection control nurse is to contain an infection and to aide in eradication the infection to prevent an outbreak. The infection control nurse has to identify the pathogen that has caused the infection, identify the current stage of replication, identify the correct treatment, and reevaluate the response to treatment (Smeltzer, 2007). The skills, knowledge and expertise in this field require multifaceted and progressive nurses who love this specialty. The relationship between knowledge and power helps to employ and implement strategies to reduce infection control and improve patient safety (WHO,
Following the QSEN model, this problem is a concern that falls under the safety category. The Institute of Medicine defines safety as, “minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance” (IOM, 2003). A nurse manager must address this problem because without nurses who are able to work, patients cannot be taken care of in a safe and effective way. As a nurse manager, it would be ...
Because of this issue the CDC has instituted a campaign entitles, "Campaign to Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance." The campaign focuses on four integrated strategies: preventing infection, diagnosing and treating infection effectively, using antimicrobials wisely, and preventing transmission.() This campaign consists of 12 steps that teach nurses as well as other healthcare providers about antimicrobial resistance and presents plans to advance nursing practice, as well as antimicrobial use.
Nurses have a considerable amount of responsibility in any facility. They are responsible for administering medicines and treatments to there patient’s. While caring for there patients, nurses will make observations on patient’s health and then record there findings. As well as consulting with doctors and other healthcare professionals to plan proper individual patient care. They teach their patients how to manage their illnesses and explain to both the patient and the patients family how to continue treatment when returning home (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014-15). They also record p...
A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that “annually approximately 1.7 million hospitalized patients acquire infections while being treated for other medical conditions, and more than 98,000 of these patients will die as a result of their acquired infection” (Cimiotti et al., 2012, p. 486). It was suggested that nursing burnout has been linked to suboptimal patient care and patient dissatisfaction. Also, the study shows that if the percentage of nurses with high burnout could be reduced to 10% from an average of 30%, approximately five thousand infections would be prevented (Cimiotti et al., 2012). In summary, increasing nursing staffing and reduction burnout in RNs is a promising strategy to help control urinary and surgical infections in acute care facilities (Cimiotti et al.,
Safety is focused on reducing the chance of harm to staff and patients. The 2016 National Patient Safety Goals for Hospitals includes criteria such as using two forms of identification when caring for a patient to ensure the right patient is being treated, proper hand washing techniques to prevent nosocomial infections and reporting critical information promptly (Joint Commission, 2015). It is important that nurses follow standards and protocols intending to patients to decrease adverse
The field of nursing is an ‘in-demand’ profession that strives for excellence in patient care and positive outcomes. A nurse’s care is always patient-focused with the goal of helping patients reach maximum medical improvement. The job of a nurse can be physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging at times. This can lead to occupational burnout which has been linked to suboptimal medical care (Cimiotti, Aiken, Sloane, and Wu, 2012). The impact of sub par health care, results in a higher number of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and poor patient outcomes. Implementation of infection control practices and HAI prevention programs are two of the most important aspects of nursing care being utilized to improve patient outcomes. The effect of nurse staffing configurations and nurse-to-patient ratios have also been shown to play a significant role in the relationship between nurses and HAIs.
Nurses across the globe are saving multiple lives daily. They work hard to take care of various patients with an array of different health problems. They are accountable for not only caring for the patient’s health but also being empathetic and friendly with all visitors. Exactly how many patients is a nurse responsible for keeping safe, comfortable, and alive? It is difficult to say because the nurse to patient ratio policies varies immensely across state borders.
Safe nurse-patient ratio is a complex issue debated on for many years. Due to inadequate staffing registered Nurses are faced with high patient ratios, and nurse burn out everyday. According to the American Nurses Association, “Massive Reductions in nursing budgets combined with, the challenges presented by a growing nursing shortage have resulted in fewer nurses working longer hours for sicker patients. This situation compromises care and contributes to the nursing shortage by creating an environment that drives nurses from the bedside”. (2012) Through the nursing process, the essential role of the Registered Nurse is to assess, diagnose, and plan based on outcomes, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of nursing care. However, it is not realistic to thoroughly implement these core guidelines in a safe and effective way, when you are
Prevention of hospital-acquired infections: review of non-pharmacological interventions. Journal of Hospital Infection, 69(3), 204-219. Revised 01/20 Haugen, N., Galura, S., & Ulrich, S. P. (2011). Ulrich & Canale's nursing care planning guides: Prioritization, delegation, and critical thinking. Maryland Heights, Mo. : Saunders/Elsevier.
Many people die a year from infection. Infection is one of the leading causes of death. There are many different precautions to prevent infection that are well known. However, anyone is susceptible to infection, healthy or not. I am healthy person physically and mentally. However, a healthy person can still be susceptible to infection. I was infected by the bacteria Escherichia coli, more commonly known as E. coli. While infected by a pathogen my body went through all of the periods of illness because the bacteria had made it through four out of five components that made it lethal. It led to a major kidney infection.
A registered nurse is a critical piece of the support system for injured and sick patients. Nurses are greatly valued in the health care system because they have many and varied responsibilities within hospitals and clinics, including: patient care, administration of medications; communication with other health care providers, patients and patients’ families; and education of patients, family members, and new nurses in training (Isaac, 2014).
Advocacy in action paper is to examine various issues in nursing staffing in the hospital and the impact of this issue on the patient’s care and patient satisfaction. Every nurse role and mission is to take care of a patient and advocate for a safe and healthy work environment. It is very important for all nurses to work together, successfully advocate for nurses and the profession to achieve a safer work environment. My role in this paper is to advocate for improvement, practicing safe in the hospital to improve patient satisfaction and reduction in nurse burnout.
A nurse can be defined, according to the Fundamentals of Nursing book, as “promoting of health, prevention of illness, and the care of the ill, disable and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, and participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management and education…” (Taylor et al, 2015). Nurses will provide the individual care for each patient based on the patient, the environment, and the health that the patient desires. Nurses spend the most time with patients, they are the ones observing the patient, monitoring the patient, and interacting with the patient. Thought these interactions nurses are able to build relationships with each patient, which in turns allows the nurse to care the patient to the best of their
The objectives of these health goals is to promote health awareness and to build health communities throughout the country and around the world. For example, the objectives for Healthy People 2020 are to attain high quality life, achieve long lives, free of preventable disease, disability, injury and prevention of premature death (Health People, 2020). It is fair to say that, for these goals to be achieved, it will take the effort of health care workers namely medical doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses. According to Zaccagnini and White (2014), "Nursing leadership is essential in implementing, and evaluating clinical preventions and interventions". DNP graduates in corporation with local and national organizations have disease outbreak surveillances in place. The National Nosocomial Infecting Surveillance System (NNIS) is one such program. This program was created by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 1970. According to, Culver, Horan, Jarvis, White, Olson, Banenjee, Edwards, Martone, Gaynes & Hughes, (1991) the CDC uses the data to monitor trends in infections and risk factors. This data is also used to estimate the magnitude of the nosocomial infection problem nationally. The DNP graduates are at the forefront of the health care delivery system. They use their skills and expertise to educate patients on health promotion and
The IC Model will be designed to prepare nurse faculty to teach clinical staff the fundamental principles of IPC focusing on the chain of infection (COI), transmission routes, standard precautions, transmission-based precautions, donning/doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE), and post-exposure management (PEM) procedures. The purpose of the IC Model is to provide faculty a comprehensive overview of IPC strategies based upon scientific evidence, which can be incorporate...