Role of Nurses in Infection Control

This article discusses the role of nurses in controlling and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. It covers the infection process, the importance of hand hygiene, aseptic techniques, standard precautions, patient education, and removal of unnecessary invasive devices.

Running Head: NURSING 1
Role of Nurses in Infection Control
Name:
Institution:

Role of Nurses in Infection Control 2
Introduction
According to Olin (2012), nurses have a vital role in controlling and preventing the
spread of infectious diseases. Therefore, it is crucial that nurses understand the clinical nursing
practices required to follow the infection process and the prevention techniques. Moreover, the
entry of infection is the presence of infectious agents (pathogens) in the tissues of the patient
hence infection is the overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the body of the host. Furthermore, the
development of pathogens does not necessarily mean that an infection has occurred because it
may take time for the development of the disease to happen. Therefore, it is essential that the
nurse understands the infection process and make an intervention that will stop the spread of the
infection.
The Infection Process
It is essential that the nurse understands the chain of infection because this would help the
nurse to intervene and stop the spread and development of the infection. However, if the
infection develops, the nurse can follow some essential steps to prevent the further spread of
diseases. For instance, there is the incubation period which the period between the pathogen
invasion in the body of the patient and the initial signs and symptoms of infection. Then there is
the prodromal stage which is the period between the onset of signs and symptoms that do not
identify with a particular disease and signs and symptoms that determine to a specific disease. At
this stage, it gets recommended that the patient takes precautions to prevent the spread of the
infection. Thirdly, there is illness stage which is the period during which the infection has signs
and symptoms that identify with a particular disease. Thus, it is essential that the nurse knows
that this is the acute illness stage and the patient will need rest, medication and treatment. The

Role of Nurses in Infection Control 3
final step is the convalescence stage which the period between which the severe signs and
symptoms of the infection disappear and the patient fully recovers.
Role of Nurses in Infection Control
1. The Practice and Promotion of Hand Hygiene
Hand hygiene is an effective ways that nurses use in preventing transmission of infections.
According to Landers et al. (2012, S11), it common means that infection is transmitted from one
patient to another within the hospital facility. It is vital that the nurse maintains hand hygiene
consistently before handling a patient and after having patient contact, the nurse should clean
their hands. Furthermore, the nurse should also maintain hygiene if they make contact with the
surfaces of the hospital and medical equipment devices and even pre and post donning gloves
(Loveday et al., 2014). Moreover, the nurses should keep their fingernails short and avoid
artificial nails and nail decorations to ensure that hygiene products reach the entire hand surface
well. The essence of maintaining such high levels of hygiene is because research has shown that
pathogens can get reserved in hospital equipment and hands in a hospital environment.
2. Consistent Use of Aseptic Techniques
It is vital that nurses be careful when performing aseptic techniques because the procedures and
the conditions under which they get carried out need more caution. It is essential because the
nurse will have control over infection spread because it will minimize the presence of pathogenic
organisms in the medical center. Moreover, the aseptic techniques may protect the patient from
infection and preventing pathogens from spreading. For instance, when the nurse is performing
procedures and tasks such as scrubbing the hub of an I.V connector before injecting the patient
(DOUGHERTY & LISTER, 2015, p. 69). It is essential in that it reduces the potential for

Role of Nurses in Infection Control 4
infection because hand hygiene gets performed before starting the procedure. Also, when the
nurse avoids the use of shortcuts when administering injections on a patient may minimize the
potential spread of pathogen organisms.
3. Use of Standard Precautions
Nurses should perform standard precaution because this is also the primary level to prevent and
control infection spread when providing care for a patient. This strategy applies when the nurse
is administering bodily fluids, secretions, and blood to a patient. According to Amin et al. (2013,
p.114), the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for instance, fluid-resistant cover gowns,
and eye protection provide safety for the nurses when proving care to the patient and this
prevents the spread of infectious pathogens.
4. Patient Education
It is vital that the nurse educates the patients and their families the essence maintaining hygiene
when administering care on the patient and the hygiene needed to prevent the spread of the
illness (Lowe et al., 2012, p.677). For example, the nurse may explain the concepts of contact
isolation and multiple drug-resistant organisms and the reason why the patient may get placed in
contact isolation. It is crucial that the nurse teaches the importance of healthcare wearing the PPE
when administering care to the patient. Moreover, the nurse empowers the patient and their
families and remind them the significance of performing hand hygiene.
5. Removal of Unnecessary Invasive Devices
Nurses can also evaluate and report a patient's response to treatment that is being administered
to them by removal of specific devices, for instance, urinary catheters and peripheral I.V. lines
when the patient is no longer in need of them. It is also the nurse role to report and be aware of

Role of Nurses in Infection Control 5
the patient can go the restroom without the assistance of any person which will help in
eliminating the use of urinary catheter before it causes infection (Lo et al., 2014, p.464).
Furthermore, the nurses’ role is to note if the patient can drink enough fluids which may need the
elimination of peripheral I.V. lines before they get infected by pathogens which may result to
other infections (Mestre et al., 2013, p.520).
Conclusion
The article explains the role of the nurses in understanding the infection chain so that they can be
able to manage and control the spread of pathogens. The nurse has the purpose of keeping their
hands clean and tidy before administering any form of medication to the patient. It is a definite
and sure method that nurses can use to ensure that they prevent and control the spread of
pathogens. Furthermore, the nurses should clean their medical equipment which will help in
monitoring and manage the range of pathogens that cause infection.

Role of Nurses in Infection Control 6
References
Amin, T.T., Al Noaim, K.I., Saad, M.A.B., Al Malhm, T.A., Al Mulhim, A.A. and Al Awas,
M.A., (2013) Standard precautions and infection control, medical students’ knowledge and
behavior at a Saudi university: the need for change. Global journal of health science, 5(4), p.114.
DOUGHERTY, L., & LISTER, S. E. (2015) The Royal Marsden manual of clinical nursing
procedures: professional edition. Chichester, Wiley-Blackwell.
Landers, T., Abusalem, S., Coty, M.B. and Bingham, J., (2012) Patient-centered hand hygiene:
the next step in infection prevention. American journal of infection control, 40(4), pp.S11-S17.
Lo, E., Nicolle, L.E., Coffin, S.E., Gould, C., Maragakis, L.L., Meddings, J., Pegues, D.A.,
Pettis, A.M., Saint, S. and Yokoe, D.S., (2014) Strategies to prevent catheter-associated urinary
tract infections in acute care hospitals: 2014 update. Infection Control & Hospital
Epidemiology, 35(5), pp.464-479.
Loveday, H.P., Wilson, J., Pratt, R.J., Golsorkhi, M., Tingle, A., Bak, A., Browne, J., Prieto, J.
and Wilcox, M., (2014) epic3: national evidence-based guidelines for preventing healthcare-
associated infections in NHS hospitals in England. Journal of Hospital Infection, 86, pp.S1-S70.
Lowe, G., Plummer, V., O’Brien, A.P. and Boyd, L., (2012) Time to clarify–the value of
advanced practice nursing roles in health care. Journal of advanced nursing, 68(3), pp.677-685.
Mestre, G., Berbel, C., Tortajada, P., Alarcia, M., Coca, R., Fernández, M.M., Gallemi, G.,
García, I., Aguilar, M.C., Rodríguez-Baño, J. and Martinez, J.A., (2013) Successful multifaceted
intervention aimed to reduce short peripheral venous catheter-related adverse events: a
quasiexperimental cohort study. American journal of infection control, 41(6), pp.520-526.
Olin, J. (2012) Nursing Plays a Major Role in Infection Control. Retrieved from:
http://www.rncentral.com/blog/2012/nursing-plays-a-major-role-in-infection-control/ (Accessed
on 24 May).