NATIONAL SAFETY & QUALITY HEALTH SERVICE

Running head: NATIONAL SAFETY & QUALITY HEALTH SERVICE
NATIONAL SAFETY & QUALITY HEALTH SERVICE
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NATIONAL SAFETY & QUALITY HEALTH SERVICE1
(NSQHS) Standards: Preventing and Controlling Healthcare-Associated Infection
Standard (standard 3):
The purpose of the standard is to reduce the risk of developing a avoidable nosocomial
infection. In Australia, hospital-acquired infections are most prominent public health concerns
that affect a huge number of patients in the clinical setting (Mitchell et al. 2017). Often the
patients are treated in the close proximately and undergo medical device or invasive procedure
that increases the risk of developing an infection. Russo et al. (2018), suggested that nursing
professionals are the major contributor of the Healthcare-Associated Infection due to the
incorrect monitoring skills, lack of aseptic practice such as incomplete hand hygiene practice
after and before treating patients and lack of appropriate antimicrobial administration practice.
Therefore, this standard is directly associated with nursing practice as it will enable nursing
professionals to identify the risk of assessment, involve in aseptic practice and use of proper
antimicrobial agents. Brims et al. (2019), highlighted that in Australia, the prevalence rate of
patients with the hospital-associated infection was 9.9% in 2016 where common infections
include pneumonia, urinary tract infections. On the other hand, Fernando, Gray and Gottlieb
(2017) highlighted that per year approximately 83096 cases of hospital-associated infection are
reported where the majority of the infections are surgical site infection. The incorrect nursing
practice subject patients at high risk of developing a hospital-associated infection (Mitchell et al.
2017). Therefore, nurses must gain an understanding of the quality and safety frameworks that
govern nursing practice for minimizing safety issues such as hospital-associated infection during
an invasive procedure.
The standard stated that nursing professionals must promote the prevention of healthcare-
associated infection by assessing the risk of patients to develop the infection on presentation of

NATIONAL SAFETY & QUALITY HEALTH SERVICE2
care. The nursing professionals must obtain the history of the communicable disease or pre-
existing colonization of infection, accommodate the need for managing the infection risk, and
alter the environment for minimizing the risk of infection and the need for the additional
disinfection (3.6) (Www.safetyandquality.gov.au. 2018). Nursing professionals must be
compliant with the current National Hand Hygiene Initiative, as well as jurisdictional
requirements for proper hand hygiene practice and report the noncompliance with the National
Hand Hygiene Initiative (3.8). The nursing professionals must comply with identify the aseptic
techniques and monitor the noncompliance (3.9) (Www.safetyandquality.gov.au. 2018). The
nursing professionals must respond to the environmental risks, ensure the frequent cleaning and
use of disinfectants in line with recommended cleaning frequency (3.11)
(Www.safetyandquality.gov.au. 2018). Nursing professionals must respond to identification
infection risk from the new and existing equipment used during invasion procedure and maintain
the appropriate use of the equipment in order to comply with the safety standards
(Www.safetyandquality.gov.au. 2018). Nursing professionals must administrate the appropriate
antimicrobial agents to mitigate the hospital-acquired infection. Therefore, to comply with the
standard, nursing professionals must involve in the training and workshops regarding hand
hygiene practice, proper monitoring of the patients so that the risk of infection can be minimized.
It will enable nursing professionals to involve in proper hygiene practice and reduce infection.
(NSQHS) Standards: Medication Safety Standard (standard 4):
The medications are the most common treatment used in the clinical setting for
supporting the wellbeing of the patients. However, in the clinical setting medication-related