Nursing 213

N213: Health Differences Across the Lifespan 3 Study Guide

IV drug users People who have unprotected sex

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• Elderly patients (Note: Elderly patients may exhibit symptoms that are unusual for infection. Confusion, altered mental status, tachycardia, Tachypnea, sub-normal body temperature, and hypotension may signal infection in an elderly patient.) Newborn infants are at risk for exposure from diseases from their mother, nosocomial infections in the hospital, and infectious disease in the general public after discharge. Certain infectious disease antibodies in the mother do provide some protection in the infant for up to the first six months, but early immunizations are necessary to protect them from communicable disease. Small children under the age of five are at risk from communicable disease in daycare centers, physician’s offices, and other public places. Before children start school, they tend to have less mature immune systems. Once they start school, they are exposed to a number of viruses and bacteria, which allow their bodies to begin to build up immunities. Also, schools require immunizations to protect them from certain communicable diseases that are known to cause severe complications. Older children with health conditions are at risk for severe complications from communicable disease, which makes immunizations necessary and also the use of isolation precautions when appropriate. The elderly patient is at risk due to an aging immune system and length of time since immunizations were given. The CDC now recommends booster immunizations for zoster (shingles) and annual flu shots for older people. Immunosuppressant medications in anyone can raise the risk of catching a communicable disease, and even with immunizations, this population needs to be protected with strict infectious control and isolation precautions. Health care workers must practice good hand washing, needle safety, and use personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times to protect themselves from infection and transmission. IV drug users and people who practice unprotected sex with multiple partners place themselves at high risk for disease transmission from blood and body fluids. Taking these factors into consideration when working with infectious diseases will remind you to always practice universal precautions on a daily basis in your work. Always regard every patient as “potentially infectious” with any possible communicable disease and you will reduce the risks of infection and transmission. 1.2 Mode of Transmission: Respiratory or Droplet Contact Infectious diseases that are transmitted by respiratory or droplet contact are spread by coughing, sneezing, talking, kissing, sharing utensils or cups, and sometimes even just breathing. These diseases need to be contained with the use of masks, tissues when coughing or sneezing, or even isolating the ill person. Because of this type of transmission, you will probably need to wear a hospital mask or be asked to “gown, mask, and glove” for certain procedures, or when exposure to infections is a possibility.

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