Abstract Florence Nightingale was the first person to initiate the concept of infection prevention and control in Healthcare. Although she had no understanding about the science of asepsis, the research she did on the sanitary problems of the hospitals made her an unyielding advocate of pure water, pure air, cleanliness, efficient system of drainage, and light. A number of Nightingale’s writings explained the rancid situation she witnessed in various hospitals. She once stated, “It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm” (health.nv. gov).
Discussion In clinical practice, nurses can exercise infection prevention and control by meeting the standard statements which serves as guidelines. To be more specific, let us consider the case of a nurse who not only practices in the hospital but also visits her clients at their home for providing them service. A part from the hospital, she also practices the infection prevention and control even when she visits her clients at their homes. One of her client has an open wound on her abdomen, which usually drains.
She took a sample for doing culture of her wound, which revealed that a methicillin resistant microorganism staphylococcus aureus exists in her wound. She meets the standards of infection control and prevention and tried to reduce the risk of transmission of infection to herself, the client and to the client’s immediate family member (since they were living in proximity to her), by following the below mentioned steps: 1. She identified the mode through which this microorganism transfers itself 2. After doing this.
She applied the concepts of hand hygiene and chose an appropriate barrier, so that the microorganism cannot transfer itself to others. 3. By applying the principles of safe cleaning, handling and disposing of materials through which she cleaned the wound of her client, she created a safe environment for the people around her client. Lastly, she communicated her client’s situation to the family member, and to other specialist caregivers at the hospital, so as to get more useful information on how she can handle her client, while ensuring the non-transmission and control of the infectious microorganism (Cozad and Jones, 2003).
Plan for Application In order to apply infection prevention and control in nursing practice and include in-service education about the concept, the following plan would be effective: The purpose of this plan is to establish an infection control program which also includes in-service training for nurses related to how infection prevention can be applied in practice. The infection prevention and control plan inculcates the following on a regular basis. 1. Supervision, prevention and control of infections across the hospital. 2. Formulate substitute techniques to tackle real and expected exposures to infectious microorganisms.
3. Opt for implementing the best methods in order to minimize unfavorable outcomes. 4. To educate nurses and provide them training on a regular basis, related to the latest advancements brought in the field of infection prevention and control. All the practicing nurses and residents of every unit of the hospital are responsible to maintain the safety and health standards as provided by OSHA regulations. In addition to this, patients should be the main centre of attention. Regular training is mandatory to attend for all the practicing nurses.
In a nutshell, this plan will help the hospital in applying infection prevention and control successfully (The World Health Organization, (2002).
References Data Retrieved, Jan 13, 2012, from health. nv. gov/PDFs/Infections/ISPC. pdf Cozad, A. , & Jones, R. (2003), Disinfection and the Prevention of Infectious Disease, American Journal of Infection Control, (31); 243-254. The World Health Organization, (2002), Hospital Hygiene and Infection Control, Retrieved, Jan 13, 2012, from, http://www. who. int/docstore/water_sanitation_health/wastemanag/ch16. htm.