Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care * Contribute to the support of infection prevention and control in social care 1.1 Identify how infections are spread. There are many practices that can lead to the spread of infection. Here are a few: not washing hands, sharing personal items such as towels, toothbrushes, etc. , unsafe food practices, not keeping up to date with vaccines, and not covering coughs and sneezes properly. 1.2 Describe how breaking the chain of infection minimizes the spread of infection.
This goal targets the prevention of mortality from health care-associated infections caused by several different drug resistant organisms, surgical related infections, and infections of the bloodstream related to catheter insertion. Catheter insertion requires regular practices that include hand sanitation before catheter operation (Singleton, 2008). The concern of this goal is the prevention of infection. Utilization of hand cleaning guidelines that are provided by the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is required in hospitals. Hospitals must also submit reports of injury and death to patients that result from infections that were acquired while staying in the hospital (2009 Hospital National Patient Safety Goals, 2008).
Case Study: Sannu’s Story Question: Leprosy, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, is leading cause of peripheral neuropathy worldwide; although it is treatable, the damage caused by the disease is irreversible. With Sannu’s, why is there both sensory loss and muscle weakness? Answer: From the repeated injuries Sannu is having repeated nerve damage. When someone has Leprosy and it is untreated they can lose sensation in that extremity due to the body’s defense mechanism. This will cause loss of feeling in the skin and weakens muscle.
Summary “Cold Comfort” is an article written by Michael Castleman. Cold comfort is an example of a cause and effect essay. It is quite an interesting article to read due to the true facts, details, examples and information it contains. This article / essay explores a growing medical crisis of antibiotics becoming ineffective for bacterial illnesses. Not to demand antibiotics that might not help or cure the cause of the bacteria is a step to ensure that antibiotics effectiveness last for a long period of time.
Research being currently carried out into cystic fibrosis includes trying to find a cure through gene therapy, this would try to prevent lung disease in a cystic fibrosis sufferer. People with cystic fibrosis suffer with their lungs becoming clogged with a sticky mucus making it very difficult for them to breathe. Prevention of cystic fibrosis could be done through screening a person to see if there is any family history of the disease present. Also by testing a woman during their pregnancy, by performing an aminocentisis test which would mean a sample of fluid taken from the womb. Also "chronic villus sampling", this involvs a sample of tissue (a biopsy) taken from the placenta and tested.
Quality Management in Healthcare The article I chose to summarize is healthcare associated infections (HAIs) which occurred during a hospital stay. These HAIs are a worldwide problem and is linked to the quality of care the patient receives from his or hers healthcare staff. HAIs are extremely dangerous; this is because they are typically caused by multi-resistant microorganisms whose line of action and therapeutic terms may be exhausted. The exhaustion of care is due to the overuse of antibiotics, environmental conditions, or the microorganism has evolved. (Baylina, 2011).
The good intentions of these doctors range from curing medical diseases, to preventing genetic disorders. Unfortunately, there are too many concerns involved. The door to genetic manipulation is quickly opening. The future of designer babies could be dangerous. It has the potential to shake up society as humans know it.
Many in our care have also got weakened immune systems and as a consequence are more susceptible to infection from the outset. We want to give the patients in our care the best treatment and quality of care possible and this would not be possible without infection control. Were we to neglect patient control their quality of life and indeed health would deteriorate, they would get sick and suffer and in extreme cases would die. This runs totally contrary to the attitudes, duties and commitments we hold so dear as healthcare workers. In this assignment I will introduce, explain and discuss one of the most topical worldwide infections in the workplace – mainly hospitals and other places of healthcare environment; MRSA.
It is important to practice safe sex with all partners, especially if you or they have high-risk sexual behaviors. STDs is a serious illness that requires treatment. Some STIs, like HIV, cannot be cured and are deadly. By learning more about STDs, we can learn ways to protect ourselves from these diseases. Common STDs • Genital herpes • HIV/AIDS • Genital warts • Hepatitis B • Vaginitis • Chlamydia • Syphilis • Gonorrhea • Trichomonias OPINION: Since the STD seems to be very dangerous and highly communicable therefore we should follow proper measures/precaution to reduce it.
The pathogens such as Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus are commonly associated with urinary tract infections in the human population. Therefore methods of isolating these pathogens in urine samples from patients and deciphering suitable tests to perform on the cultures are of paramount importance to avoid unnecessary expensive tests usage and to provide rapid diagnostic results. This can then answer questions of what caused the disease in the first place and what necessary therapy and life-style changes must be followed to avoid reoccurrence of the pathogen in the near future and to ultimately stop any further damage caused by the pathogen to the host. Thus, the following case report will demonstrate the isolation of Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus using a number of different selective/diagnostic tests to ensure this and subsequently the follow up treatments for the infection. Introduction “Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the third most common infection experienced by humans after respiratory and gastro-intestinal infections” (M. S. Najar, C. L. Saldanha, and K. A. Banday, 2009).