Surviving in Isolation – Nursing infectious patients

Sometimes the sickest patients in the hospital are the ones that have to be kept separate from everyone else. We will discuss the need for infectious disease protocols in the hospital as well as best practices for protecting ourselves and our patients from infection. Common infectious diseases will be reviewed. The unique nursing challenges that come from being an isolation nurse, often alone will be covered and how to assist your patients when they must be in an isolation ward.

At the end of this lecture participants should be able to:

• Review infection control, personal protective equipment (PPE), hygiene and compliance
• Examine GI, respiratory and zoonotic diseases that require isolation
• Discuss the nursing challenges for both the technician and the patient