infectious diseases

CHAPTER 66 MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH INFECTIOUS DISEASES

  • Professor: Joseph Christian G. Bacleon, RN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 INFECTIOUS PROCESS02 INFECTION CONTROL AND PREVENTION03 DIARRHEAL DISEASES04 SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS05 EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES06 INFECTIOUS DERMATOSES

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

  • Defined as any disease caused by pathogenic microbes' growth in the body.

  • May or may not be communicable (i.e., contagious).

THE INFECTIOUS PROCESS

  • Chain of Infection: A complete chain of events is necessary for infection to occur. This comprises the following six elements:

    1. Causative organism

    2. Reservoir

    3. Portal of exit

    4. Mode of transmission

    5. Portal of entry

    6. Susceptible host

CAUSATIVE ORGANISM

  • Microorganisms causing infections include:

    • Bacteria

    • Rickettsiae

    • Viruses

    • Protozoa

    • Fungi

    • Helminths

RESERVOIR

  • Any person, plant, animal, substance, or location providing nourishment for microorganisms, enabling organism dispersal.

  • Prevention: Eliminate causative organisms from the reservoir.

PORTAL OF EXIT

  • The infected host must shed organisms to another, allowing transmission.

  • Common portals of exit include:

    • Respiratory tract

    • Gastrointestinal tract

    • Genitourinary tract

    • Blood

ROUTE OF TRANSMISSION

  • Connects the infectious source with a new host, including:

    • Food intake

    • Sexual contact

    • Skin-to-skin contact

    • Percutaneous injection

    • Infectious particles in the air

  • Carrier: A person who transmits a pathogen without showing symptoms.

SUSCEPTIBLE HOST

  • Infection occurrence requires a susceptible host (lacks immunity).

  • Ways to possess immunity include:

    • Previous infection

    • Vaccine administration

  • High-Risk Groups: Immunocompromised individuals, elderly, infants.

PORTAL OF ENTRY

  • Specific organisms may require specific portals of entry for infection.

INFECTIOUS DISEASE TABLE

Table 66.1: Select Infectious Diseases

  • Hiv: Sexual; percutaneous; perinatal, incubation approx. 10 years without effective therapy.

  • Anthrax: Airborne, contact, ingestion – varies from 1-43 days for inhalation.

MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY REPORT

  • Key components include:

    1. Smear and stain

    2. Culture and organism identification

    3. Antimicrobial susceptibility

INFECTION CONTROL AND PREVENTION

  • Principal agencies include:

    • World Health Organization (WHO)

    • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

  • Focus: Reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

INFECTION CONTROL PRACTICES

  • Two tiers of isolation precautions:

    1. Standard precautions: Uniform level of caution for all patients, including hand hygiene and PPE use.

    2. Transmission-based precautions: Additional precautions for known cases of high transmissibility germs.

TYPES OF PRECAUTIONS

  • Airborne precautions: For TB, COVID-19, requires negative air pressure rooms, N95 respirators.

  • Droplet precautions: For influenza, requires facemask within 3-6 feet.

  • Contact precautions: For skin-to-skin transmitted organisms, requires gloves.

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

  • Caused by extensive antibiotic use in agriculture/healthcare, leading to superbugs like MRSA, C. difficile, and more.

DIARRHEAL DISEASES

  • Causes include: importation of foreign foods, environmental changes.

  • Prevention through water disinfection, pasteurization, and food packaging.

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS

  • Diseases acquired through sexual contact; prevention through health education and condoms.

STAGES OF SYPHILIS

  1. Primary: Chancres at infection site.

  2. Secondary: Generalized rash, flu-like symptoms.

  3. Tertiary: Affects multiple organs, may cause severe complications.

EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES

  • Defined by increased occurrence or potential rise in cases, e.g., COVID-19.

  • Contributing factors include travel, globalization, and population changes.

INFECTIOUS DERMATOSES

  • Include dermatologic disorders caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites.

  • Types: Bacterial infections, Fungal infections (e.g., Tinea, Candidiasis), and Parasitic infections (e.g., Scabies, Pediculosis).

NURSING MANAGEMENT

  • Important for infection education, prevention, and management of symptoms and complications in various infectious diseases.