Other factors include separation from family, anxiety, sense of isolation and stigma. Glynn et al (1997) investigated the effects on the rate of infection of certain known risk factors such as age, underlying disease, and length of hospital and the use of invasive procedures. He found that it was in the use of invasive devices, which increased the infection rate from one HAI per 100 patient’s episodes to 7.2, and goes on to state “this is important for nurses because they manage invasive devices, such as urinary catheters, intravascular cannulae, epidural cannulae, nasogastric tubes, and peg tubes, which often identify the early signs of infection” (McCullach, 1998). The (NMC 2002) states “nurses have a duty to safeguard the wellbeing of patients and have a due regard for the environment of care” Code of professional conduct. Nurses must be sure that they do not contribute to infection risks and must take care to prevent infection whenever possible.
The secondary cause is related to an existing infection or disease. Each of these are caused by different irritants that result in the same disruption of normal perfusion. The attacks on the lung lead to alveolar inflammation and edema that causes low ventilation and blood and fluid to be pushed into the capillaries. This leads to a stasis in the lung’s gas perfusion and creates a pressure that makes it harder for the individual to breath (Anatomical Chart Company, 2010, p. 100). The first signs and symptoms of any infection should immediately be put to the attention of the health care provider.
These can occur anywhere within the healthcare system such as outpatient and inpatient settings, provider's offices, long term care, pharmacies, and any other areas that medicine is a practiced. Medical errors cost patients the financial cost of medical care and lost income. Besides the financial cost, patients also suffer death and disability from medical error. Patients also suffer longer hospitalizations, more medication, and extra procedures after a wrongful preventable event. The cost to providers from medical malpractice is higher medical malpractice insurance.
The statistics of medication error consistently increases in health care sector. A 1999 IOM (Institute of Medicine) estimated that “Medication errors” accounted for 7,000 deaths per year (Phillips et al.2001). According to Malaysia, static show that 10 percent of medication errors occurs by the nurses’ carelessness and not seriously follow the rules in their practice, during drug administration stage (www.straight dope Nov 2007). We mite be think, 10 percent is not a high percentage in medication error but that was the root cause of medication error, were started by the nurses in health care sectors. All errors result in potentially negative outcomes for the client, including a near or actual death.
“Hospital-acquired infection” (HAI) is a serious and prevalent issue in today’s healthcare field. The Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital finds this issue to be grave and is doing all that they can to eradicate HAI for good. Hospital-acquired infections are infections that come about during the course of the hospitalization and treatment, but were not present when the patient was admitted to the hospital. According to the CDC, hospital-acquired infections show up “48 to 72 hours after admission or 10 days after discharge” (Collins, n.d.). The reason for this window of time for the infection to develop is because hospitals try to have the duration of hospital stays decreased.
The rate of infection did decrease substantially in the shaved patients if the shaving was done at the time of surgery rather than the customary day prior. Each of the article cited years’ worth of data collection in studies around the world with thousands of patient’s total. In all of the articles they noted that the resistance to changing this procedure is due to custom and practice (Prevention of Surgical Site Infections n.d.). 4. Based upon a review of the literature, if the practice of shaving was eliminated in totality or at least substituted with clipping in more hospitals, the incidence of
A wound is a disorder in the normal anatomical structure and function of living tissue which may be caused by physical, chemical, microbiological or immunological injury. Globally wounds also represent a significant burden on the patients and health care professionals or givers. Wound infection is also significant in that they are the most common nosocomial infection (Orrett, 2002) . Infection of the wound is the successful invasion, and proliferation by one or more organisms anywhere within the body’s sterile tissues and sometimes accompanied with pus formation (Calvin, 1998).Wound infection may result to prolong hospital stay, delay wound healing, increases cost of health care and morbidity in surgical patients (Orrett, 2002).. Wound infection with multiple organisms may even result to multiple organ failure or death of the patient when it becomes chronic.
An infection developing 48 hours after a patient has been admitted into hospital will generally be referred to as a hospital acquired infection. There are a number of hospital acquired infections that can affect patients during their stay in hospital and are generally due to microorganisms. Microorganisms may already exist within a patient’s flora; these are referred to as endogenous infections. A common endogenous infection is a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) which would occur when a catheter is inserted through the urethra to the bladder to empty the bladder. Even though catheters used in hospitals today are packed and sterile this type of infection may be unavoidable on most occasions as microorganisms in or just outside the urethra may enter the bladder via the catheter causing a UTI.
Hypertension, if left untreated can cause long-term damage to the cardiovascular system, the renal system and the eyes. It can also be a significant risk factor for myocardial infarction, cardiovascular accident, renal failure and loss of sight. “The number of people with hypertension continues to rise in the UK and worldwide, placing enormous social, economical and health burden on the sufferers, their dependants and statutory health care providers” (Chummun 2011). As a nurse, detecting hypertension and appropriate management can improve a patient’s life. Hypertension can be treated and controlled through lifestyle changes and/or medication, thus reducing the risk factors.
High levels of work place stress and professional burnout continually affects nurses and other health care workers globally. This paper will explore this nursing issue by articulating the concepts of stress and professional burnout relative to the nursing profession. The term stress is defined as “a particular relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or as exceeding his or her resources and is endangering his or her well-being” (Wlodarczyk, & Lazarewicz, 2011 p.848). This definition focuses on how stress is connected to an individual’s awareness of their resources and environment. The term professional burnout is described as “physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that results from long-term involvement in work situations that are emotionally demanding” (Wlodarczyk, & Lazarewicz, 2011 p.848), highlighting how the work place environment is directly affecting an individual’s health and well-being.