Common Hazards Essay Discussion Paper

I did not realize until now that there were several hazards that nurses may experience. In the clinical setting, one of the hazards that could endanger me and my clients is the significant risk of acquiring common and developing infectious illnesses. In recent times, there have been outbreaks of coronavirus, Ebola, Zika virus, swine influenza among others and through these incidents, nurse practitioners have acquired and may have transmitted these illnesses among other health workers and patients (Carrico et al., 2018). This can be terrifying because there is so much the nurses may touch which may be contaminated regarding individuals, specimens, devices, and much more.

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To prevent harm to themselves and their patients, there are interventions that nurses need to pursue. According to Rebmann & Carrico (2017), the consistent and appropriate utilization of effective infection prevention techniques is the most essential way of preventing harm. Vaccinations provide another means of preventing harm as they are useful for common and pre-existing illnesses or emerging infections, although, in most circumstances, they have little impact on novel diseases (Carrico et al., 2018). The period it takes to produce vaccines in disease outbreaks, between seven to ten months, may lead to more spreads of the illness or several deaths (Rebmann & Carrico, 2017). Nonpharmacologic approaches that can be utilized by nurses encompass social distancing, environmental disinfection, quarantine, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, and surveillance (Carrico et al., 2018).

References

Carrico, R. M., Garrett, H., Balcom, D., & Glowicz, J. B. (2018). Infection prevention and control core practices: A roadmap for nursing practice. Nursing48(8), 28.

Rebmann, T., & Carrico, R. (2017). Consistent Infection Prevention: Vital During Routine and Emerging Infectious Diseases Care. Online Journal Of Issues In Nursing22(1), 1. Common Hazards Essay Discussion Paper