8.2: Infection Introduction

Learning Objectives

• Outline the factors that put patients at risk for infection
• Identify factors related to infection across the life span
• Outline personal practices that reduce the risk of infection transmission
• Base your care decision on the signs and symptoms of infection
• Base your response on an interpretation of the diagnostic tests related to patient’s infectious process
• Detail the nursing interventions to support or minimize the physical and psychological effects of the infectious process
• Demonstrate the ability to correlate nursing interventions to methods used to prevent or disrupt the chain of infection
• Follow industry standards for transmission-based precautions
• Identify evidence-based practices

Have you ever wondered how nurses can be exposed to patients with communicable diseases day after day and not become ill? There are many factors that affect the body’s ability to defend against infection and place some individuals at greater risk of developing an infection. When an infection does occur, early recognition is important to prevent it from spreading within the individual, as well as to others. Protecting people from developing an infection, as well as preventing the spread of infection, is a major concern for nurses. This chapter will discuss the physiology of the inflammation and infectious processes and nursing interventions to prevent the spread of infection.