Health care professionals play a crucial role in helping to prevent and control infectious disease. Nurses are an important factor in helping to prevent the spread of infection. As a nurse it is extremely important to understand the infection process, the chain of infection, and prevention techniques. In the TWO scenarios below, describe in paragraph form what you as a health care provider would do in these situations. Describe what was done right, what was done incorrectly, and what measures could be taken to improve infection control in each scenario. A man is recovering from a minor surgical procedure. His son, daughter-in-law, and grandson come to visit him. His daughter-in-law is suffering from what appears to be a bad cold and, although hospital policies prohibit children under the age of 10 from visiting patients in this ward, the 3-year-old grandson still came up. You notice that the woman is sneezing and coughing into her hands. You also notice that the child keeps moving from his mother’s lap to the patient’s lap in the hospital bed. In addition, you observe that the woman is changing the television stations on the remote control to find something the child can watch. A charge nurse on a medical/surgical unit approaches a computer and notices that the keyboard is visibly soiled. She goes to a supply closet to get some disinfectant wipes to clean the keys. When she returns, she notes that a nurse is sitting at the computer using the soiled keyboard. As she watches, the nurse picks up a patient chart, makes a note, and then returns to the keyboard. When she is finished typing, the nurse walks away from the computer and heads for one of the patient rooms. Submit your completed assignment by following the directions linked below. Please check the for specific due dates. Save your assignment as a Microsoft Word document. (Mac users, please remember to append the “.docx” extension to the filename.) The name of the file should be your first initial and last name, followed by an underscore and the name of the assignment, and an underscore and the date. An example is shown below: Jstudent_exampleproblem_101504

Infection control is an essential aspect of healthcare, and healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, play a crucial role in preventing and controlling infectious diseases. In the following scenarios, I will discuss what actions I, as a health care provider, would take, analyze what was done correctly and incorrectly, and propose measures to improve infection control.

Scenario 1:
In this scenario, a man is recovering from a minor surgical procedure, and his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson come to visit him. The daughter-in-law appears to have a bad cold, which raises concerns about potential transmission of infection. Furthermore, the grandson, who is under the age of 10 and not permitted to visit patients in this ward, is present.

Firstly, as a nurse, I would approach the daughter-in-law and kindly request that she refrain from visiting the patient while she is sick. This is in accordance with hospital policies aimed at preventing the transmission of infections. Furthermore, I would notify the charge nurse about the presence of the grandson, who is not allowed to visit the ward.

What was done correctly in this scenario is the observation and recognition of potential infection risks. The nurse noticed the daughter-in-law sneezing and coughing into her hands, which are known modes of transmitting respiratory infections. The nurse also observed the child moving from his mother’s lap to the patient’s lap in the hospital bed, which increases the risk of transmission to the patient. Moreover, the nurse noticed the violation of the hospital policy regarding the visitation of children under the age of 10.

However, what was done incorrectly in this scenario is that the nurse did not immediately take action to prevent potential transmission of infection. Instead, the nurse merely observed the situation without intervening. To improve infection control in this scenario, the nurse should have implemented immediate measures to prevent the transmission of infection. This could involve informing the daughter-in-law about the hospital policy, requesting that she leave the ward until she recovers, and advising her on respiratory hygiene practices, such as coughing or sneezing into a tissue or elbow. Additionally, the nurse should have notified the charge nurse about the presence of the grandson, allowing appropriate action to be taken.

Scenario 2:
In this scenario, a charge nurse on a medical/surgical unit notices that a keyboard is visibly soiled and goes to get disinfectant wipes to clean it. However, upon returning, the nurse observes another nurse using the soiled keyboard and then touching a patient chart before returning to the keyboard.

What was done correctly in this scenario is the charge nurse’s immediate recognition of the visibly soiled keyboard and the decision to obtain disinfectant wipes to clean it. This demonstrates an awareness of infection control practices and the importance of maintaining a clean environment.

However, what was done incorrectly in this scenario is that both the charge nurse and the nurse who used the soiled keyboard did not effectively prevent the potential transmission of infection. The charge nurse should have intervened and informed the other nurse about the soiled keyboard before she used it. The other nurse, upon noticing the soiled keyboard, should have refrained from using it until it was properly cleaned.

To improve infection control in this scenario, the charge nurse should have immediately alerted the other nurse about the state of the keyboard upon her return. The charge nurse should have stressed the importance of not using a soiled keyboard and provided guidance on alternative keyboards or disinfecting procedures. The nurse who used the soiled keyboard should have verified its cleanliness before using it and followed proper hand hygiene practices, such as handwashing or using hand sanitizers, after using the keyboard and before touching patient-related materials.

In conclusion, infection control is of utmost importance in healthcare, and health care professionals, particularly nurses, have a significant role to play in preventing and controlling infectious diseases. In the presented scenarios, it is evident that certain measures were followed correctly, while others were overlooked. To improve infection control, immediate action should be taken in similar situations, such as enforcing hospital policies, educating patients and visitors about infection prevention practices, and promoting proper hand hygiene and cleanliness in the healthcare environment.