It is important to note that there is a wide range of newly emerging or re-emerging diseases that require significant involvement and input from nursing professionals. As of October of the previous year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2022) highlights Pseudomonas aeruginosa as an emerging infectious disease classified as carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPOs). It is stated that CPOs are emerging public health threats that cause extensively drug-resistant infections associated with severe illness (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). They can spread rapidly within healthcare facilities, colonizing faucet aerators and wastewater plumbing systems and infecting patients. Researchers found that a contaminated faucet intended as a water supply for dialysis treatments was the probable source of infection in several patients, despite none of them undergoing dialysis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). The hospital’s infection prevention efforts focused on improving sink hygiene by removing patient care supplies from sink splash zones and regularly cleaning splash zones to prevent future transmission from wastewater plumbing.
The emergence of carbapenemase-producing organisms, such as Verona-integron-encoded metallo-β-lactamase-producing carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (VIM-CRPA), has significant implications for nursing practice. These organisms can spread quickly within healthcare facilities, including to patients, and cause infections that are often difficult to treat (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Nurses must be vigilant in monitoring patients for signs and symptoms of infection and implementing appropriate infection prevention and control measures, such as hand hygiene, appropriate use of personal protective equipment, and environmental cleaning and disinfection (Jeong & Song, 2022). The emergence of VIM-CRPA and other CPOs affects my practice as a nurse in that it reinforces the importance of promoting and supporting evidence-based infection prevention and control practices. Therefore, I must be knowledgeable about the modes of transmission of infectious diseases and the appropriate interventions to prevent and manage their spread. It is stated that “patients with multidrug-resistant organisms require treatment with more thorough adherence to … prevention and management guidelines,” which are facilitated by nurses (Jeong & Song, 2022, p. 134). In addition, nurses must collaborate with other healthcare professionals, including infection prevention professionals and environmental services staff, to implement effective strategies to prevent and manage the impact of infectious diseases.
The emergence of VIM-CRPA and other CPOs is likely due to a combination of factors. However, the main ones include the overuse and misuse of antibiotics and inadequate infection prevention and control practices (Jeong & Song, 2022). Nurses can play a critical role in addressing these factors by advocating for appropriate antibiotic use, promoting policies and practices that support infection prevention and control, and educating patients and families about the importance of infection prevention measures. The nurse’s role in preventing and managing the impact of infectious diseases is multifaceted and includes both the patient and nurse perspectives (Jeong & Song, 2022). From patients’ perspectives, this includes educating them on the appropriate use of personal protective equipment, hand hygiene, and other measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. From nurses’ perspective, they must advocate for appropriate antibiotic use and policies and practices that support infection prevention and control.
Finally, nurses must educate patients and families about the importance of infection prevention and control measures and empower them to take an active role in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. In other words, this is a joint effort to improve patient safety to protect their health collectively.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). October 2022: Emerging infectious diseases journal. Web.
Jeong, I. S., & Song, J. Y. (2022). Epidemiological characteristics of carbapenemase-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae colonization. Asian Nursing Research, 16(3), 134-139. Web.