Medical Interview GA - Assignment Example

Medical Interview GA [School [Assignment 30 May Hospitals are the places where patients of different diseases get the treatment. The germs of such diseases not only contaminate the hospital environment but also enhanced a risk factor for admitted patients to acquire further infections in the hospital. After identifying such issue a 15 minute interview conducts with Dr. Peter Andrew, who served as a general physician in national hospital of United States. During the interview, Dr. P. Andrew asked by the question “how germs contaminating hospital environment affects the admitted patients?”
In the answer, Dr. P. Andrew told that "the germs contaminating hospital environment affects the hospitalized patients and cause Noscomial infections. It is very critical situation, which occur due to the poor sanitary practices and management of medical and paramedical staff within the hospitals, nursing homes or clinics during therapy of the patients” (4).
ETIOLOGY: There are many types of Nosocomial infections. Some important are including Urinary tract infections, surgical site infections, Respiratory tract infections, Blood stream infections, Skin infections, gastrointestinal tract infections and Central nervous system infections (3). The common pathogenic agents of nosocomial infections include pathogenic and commensal bacteria of normal flora, Viruses of Hepatitis B and C, respiratory Synctial Virus, rotaviruses and enteroviruses , fungi and other opportunistic organisms which are Candida albicans, Aspergillus, Cryptococcus neoformans, Cryptosporidium (2).
PREVALENCE AND INCIDENCE: Nosocomial infections prevail widely all over the world. It is the major cause of death in hospitalized patients (2). Only in the United States, there were 2,000,000 cases of nosocomial infections has reported annually (3).
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY: Nosocomial infections come from endogenous or exogenous sources. Endogenous sources include body sites inhabited by microorganisms such as naso-pharynx, Gastro-intestinal or genitor-urinary tracts. Exogenous sources include those visitors, medical personnel, equipment and the healthcare environment (1).
PROGNOSIS: In United States annual reported cases of nosocomial infections are about 2,000,000. The annual death rate among these reported cases is 20,000 patients while rest of the nosocomial infections cases found curable (3).
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: The reported Signs and symptoms of Nosocomial infections are pain, fever, night sweats, breathing difficulties, inflammation and swelling of different organs (3).
TREATMENT: For the symptomatic nosocomial infections, treatment of shock, hypoventilation, and other complications should be provided along with the administration of empiric broad-spectrum antimicrobial, antifungal and anti viral therapy. For the asymptomatic and mild symptomatic nosocomial infections, administration of antibiotics alone is effective. The duration of treatment is usually 10 days (1).
LEGIBILITY AND CONTROL OF INFECTION: The nosocomial infections easily recognized and legible within 48 hours after admission of patients. Mostly nosocomial infections in epidemic state observe within the setting while epidemic state of nosocomial infection occurrence identifies within the increase in infection above baseline for a specific organism (2). The best measures helpful in the reduction of nosocomial infections include hand washing between attending different patients, avoiding hand contact to eyes or oral area, hospital staff education, isolation of patient, education of visitors, hospital equipments sterilization, air filtration systems and vaccination (3).
Hence nosocomial infections is a big problem may occur worldwide in the hospital, nursing home or clinics but due to its legibility, presence of treatment and control mostly it is curable.
References
(1) Ayesha Mirza, Hospital-Acquired Infections Clinical Presentation, emedicine.medscape.com, 5 Jan 2012, web. 29 May 2012
(2) Erin Broaddus, Hospital-Acquired Infections, cwru.edu, n.d, web. 28 May 2012
(3) n.p, Nosocomial infections, rightdiagnosis.com, n.d, web. 29 May 2012
(4) Dr. P. Andrew, Personal communication, 2012 Read More