Infectious Disease Nursing Basics PDF

Basics of Infectious Disease Nursing Communicable Diseases – illnesses caused by an infectious agent, or its toxic products transmitted directly or indirectly to a person, animal, or intermediary host or inanimate environment Contagious Diseases – transmitted by direct physical contact...

Basics of Infectious Disease Nursing Communicable Diseases – illnesses caused by an infectious agent, or its toxic products transmitted directly or indirectly to a person, animal, or intermediary host or inanimate environment Contagious Diseases – transmitted by direct physical contact Infectious Diseases – transmitted indirectly through contaminated food, body fluids, objects, airborne inhalation, or through vector organisms that would require a break or inoculation in the skin or mucous membranes of individuals  An organism involved in the Agent development of a disease Host Environment Any organism that harbors The condition in which the agent and provide nutrition may exist, survive, or originate for the agent May be physical, biological, or socioeconomic Epidemiologic Triangle Model  Chain of Infection A logical sequence of factors that are essential for the development of communicable diseases Causative Agent - an organism capable of producing disease Agent - Host interaction: Pathogenicity - ability of agent to produce disease in those infected with the agent Infectivity - ability of the agent to infect large numbers of people Virulence - ability to produce disease in those infected Antigenicity - ability of the agent to stimulate an immune response Toxigenicity - ability of the agent to produce toxin that cause infection Reservoir - the environment or object in or on which an organism survives or multiplies Examples: Human beings, animals, arthropods, plants, water, soil, or inanimate objects Portal of Exit - the path by which an agent leaves its reservoir Common portals of exit: respiratory, GU, skin, mucous membranes, GI tract  Mode of Transmission The means by which the agent passes from the portal of exit in the reservoir to the susceptible host Considered as the weakest link Can you name the different modes of transmission?  Modes of Transmission Airborne Transmission - occurs when disease causing agents present in small or liquid particles spreads more than three feet distance through the air and infect healthy individuals Droplet Transmission - occurs when disease causing agents that is present in residues of fluid from infected person travels less than three feet to healthy individuals Contact Transmission Direct Contact Transmission - occurs when disease causing agents from an infected person enters a healthy person through physical contact Indirect Contact Transmission - occurs when disease causing agents from an infected individual enters a healthy person through inanimate or contaminated surfaces, objects, or substances  Modes of Transmission Vector transmission - occurs when living organisms like animals or arthropods infect healthy individuals by transmitting disease causing agents that grow inside their body Vehicle transmission - occurs when disease causing agents present in inanimate objects, substances or materials act as transport agents to infect healthy individuals  Portal of Entry - the path by which an agent invades a susceptible host. Usually, the same path as portal of exit Susceptible Host - the various factors of the individual that increases their chances or risk for acquiring the infection  Control, Eradication, and Elimination of Communicable Diseases 1. Control – activities that reduce morbidity and mortality of disease at an acceptable level within a locality 2. Eradication – permanent reduction to zero of the worldwide prevalence of a disease caused by a specific agent 3. Elimination – reduction to zero prevalence of a disease *Control of manifestations of a disease so that it is no longer a public health problem by bringing down its incidence to a level below one case per 10,000 population. Infection Control Practices Standard Precautions Used for all patient care Based on risk assessment Make use of common- sense practices and personal protective equipment  Transmission - Based Precautions Used in addition to standard precautions for patients with known or suspected infections Airborne Prec. Droplet Prec. Contact Prec. Airborne Precautions Droplet Precautions Contact Precautions Contact Precautions