Universal Precautions Case Study

Question: Discuss about theUniversal Precautionsfor Case Study. Answer: Introduction Ensuring a routine follow-up of the universal precautions is fundamental in nursing practice to prevent the spread of harmful pathogens. When caring for patients, nurses often encounter situations that predispose them to potentially infectious materials. This paper explains what the EN will do to manage the situation, focusing on personal hygiene practices, protective equipment, contamination-limitation techniques, surface cleaning, and management of body fluids. What the EN Will Do Before Entering the Room After noticing that Ms. Edith Smith has soiled herself and the floor, the EN will need to recognize that utilizing appropriate standard precautions is relevant. Evidently, body fluids such as urine and feces contain harmful pathogens that can be highly infectious (La Rosa et al., 2013). Although the case study does not provide some diagnoses that can be infectious, the EN can implement three interventions before entering the room for protective purposes. Hand washing. Hand washing is the first, easiest and safest way that the EN can use to prevent cross contamination to Mrs. Edith. According to Malliarou, Sarafis, Zyga, and Constantinidis (2013) the essence of washing hands is not only to prevent the nurse from the infections but also to ensure that the patient is not predisposed to nosocomial infections. Therefore, the nurse can wash hands using the antiseptic provided by the hospital to minimize the bacteria on her hands to remove the pathogens on her hands. Putting on an apron. The nurse can put on an apron to prevent the transfer of feces and urine to the clothes, skin and the mucous membranes. D'Angelo (2012) contends that every body part is at risk of infection from external body fluids and thus, protection must always be a priority to protect oneself. Moreover, the EN must put on closed shoes to prevent infection to the feet. Putting on gloves. In addition to the apron, donning gloves is the final and the most critical steps before going to help Ms. Edith because it contributes to limit contamination. Wilson et al. (2014) provide guidelines, which ascertain that healthcare providers must always put on gloves before handling patients to limit the risk of cross-contamination. Therefore, after ensuring the observance if this guideline, she can proceed to help Ms. Edith. In the Room While in the room, the EN can start by helping Ms. Edith to remove her clothes. Then, the nurse can dispose of the clothes appropriately following the specified hospital policy for sluicing. After that, the EN can help maintain the privacy and dignity of Ms. Edith, and assist her in taking a bath. During this time, the nurse must ensure that no part of the body is predisposed to infections. Then, the EN can request for assistance from any nurse in the unit to bring clean clothes, which can be given to Ms. Edith to put on. Besides, Kutzleb et al. (2015) contend that geriatric patients must be allowed to implement self-care because it increases the quality of life and enhances health outcomes. In this case, the general condition of the patient can allow her to put on the clothes, and the EN must allow her to be as independent as possible with minimal assistance. Most importantly, the EN should not touch the clean clothes to prevent cross-infection. Then, the nurse can allow Ms. Edith to use the walking frame as she walks out of the bathroom. Still in the apron, closed shoes and the gloves, the nurse can wash the feces and urine and dispose of appropriately. Alternatively, she can direct junior staff responsible for the work to remove them depending on the hospital policy. Before Leaving the Room The EN needs to observe the universal precautions until the time of leaving the bathroom. During the process, the EN must ensure that no other patients and fellow staff are at risk of infection. After completing the procedure on Ms. Edith, the EN can observe the following four steps. Dispose the gloves and perform hand hygiene. Disposing of the used gloves is the priority intervention in this case because the nurse needs to use the hands on other parts of the body. According to Garus-Pakowska, Sobala, and Szatko (2013), proper disposal of gloves is crucial in the hospital to prevent infecting the hospital staff and the patients. Accordingly, the gloves must be put in an appropriate receiver specified by the hospital. Then the nurse can wash hands with an antiseptic. Dispose the gown and perform hand hygiene. The gown has spills since the nurse assisted Ms. Edith to dress. Therefore, the nurse can touch the areas not having the spills and remove the gown, then dispose of appropriately. Despite touching the places with no fluids on the gown, the nurse can repeat washing hands with an antiseptic to prevent infection. Conclusion Universal precautions are necessary for every hospital setting because they help to reduce the risk of transmission of infections. The case of Ms. Edith is a perfect example of the way nurses predispose themselves to infections. Nurses in this situation can use proper hand washing and other practices such as putting own a gown to prevent infections. Most importantly, the nurse must ensure that other patients and hospital staff are not predisposed to infections by observing the universal precautions. References D'Angelo, J. M. (2012).Milady standard esthetics: fundamentals. Boston, Massachusetts: Milady Cengage Learning. Garus-Pakowska, A., Sobala, W., Szatko, F. (2013). The use of protective gloves by medical personnel.International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health,26(3), 423-429. doi:10.2478/s13382-013-0095-1 Kutzleb, J., Rigolosi, R., Fruhschien, A., Reilly, M., Shaftic, A. M., Duran, D., Flynn, D. (2015). Nurse practitioner care model: meeting the health care challenges with a collaborative team.Nursing Economics,33(6), 297. Retrieved from https://www.nursingeconomics.net/ce/2017/article3306297304.pdf La Rosa, G., Fratini, M., Libera, S. D., Iaconelli, M., Muscillo, M. (2013). Viral infections acquired indoors through airborne, droplet or contact transmission.Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanit,49(2), 124-132. doi: 10.4415/ANN_13_02_03 Malliarou, M., Sarafis, P., Zyga, S., Constantinidis, T. C. (2013). The importance of nurses hand hygiene.International Journal of Caring Sciences,6(3), 327. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pavlos_Sarafis/publication/257200630_The_Importance_of_Nurses_Hand_Hygiene/links/02e7e524a0b2f27999000000.pdf Wilson, J., Loveday, H. P., Pratt, R. J., Golsorkhi, M., Tingle, A., Bak, A., ... Wilcox, M. (2014). epic3: national evidence-based guidelines for preventing healthcare-associated infections in NHS hospitals in England.Journal of Hospital Infection,86, 1-S70. Retrieved from https://www.his.org.uk/files/3113/8693/4808/epic3_National_Evidence-Based_Guidelines_for_Preventing_HCAI_in_NHSE.pdf