Nursing Care Plan Of Infection

Infections are a common cause of death in the healthcare setting. Nursing care plans for patients with infections include monitoring vital signs and administering IV antibiotics as ordered. Infection-related nursing diagnoses may include: infection due to presence of pathogenic organisms and host immunodeficiency as evidenced by changes in body temperature, signs of inflammation, increased serum leukocytes, increased pain.

Infection is a common problem in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Infections can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. Examples of organisms that cause infections include:

Staphylococcus aureus (staph)
Escherichia coli (E. coli)
Neisseria meningitidis
Influenza virus
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

Infections are sometimes referred to as nosocomial when they are acquired in a hospital setting or one other health care facility. It is important for nurses to understand how to prevent infections in patients and what actions they should take if a patient does develop an infection while hospitalized.

Desired Outcome: Patient will be free from infection as evidenced by negative culture and no further signs or symptoms of infection.

Outcomes Assessment: The patient’s temperature will be within normal limits (98.6-100.4 F), the white blood cell count is within normal limits, and the neutrophil percentage is within normal limits.

Nursing Interventions and Rationale

Monitor vital signs.
Administer antibiotics.
Encourage patient to remain in bed during the acute stage of this infection and avoid strenuous activities.
Change dressings as indicated by the physician or nurse practitioner, usually once a day or every other day. The dressing should be changed at least daily after initiating antibiotic therapy to ensure that the infection is being controlled (and not spreading). This will also allow you to monitor whether the wound is healing adequately, and assess if there are any signs of infection (e.g., redness, tenderness over bone) since this can indicate that treatment needs to be adjusted or changed if it isn’t working well enough on its own yet

Monitor vital signs every 4 hours.

Monitor vital signs every 4 hours. This will provide you with an opportunity to assess the patient’s progress and continue your assessment of the goals of care. You may need to observe the following:

Temperature in the axilla (armpit), oral cavity, tympanic membrane (ear drum), and rectum or vagina.
Blood pressure at each site (supine, sitting upright and standing).
Heart rate using auscultation or palpation technique. For example: palpating for 2 seconds at each heart beat; counting for 60 beats per minute or less than 120 beats per minute as normal; greater than 120 beats per minute is tachycardia; less than 60 beats per minute is bradycardia and requires immediate medical attention!

Administer IV antibiotics as ordered.

Administer IV antibiotics as ordered.
Administer IV antibiotics for infections in the blood, lungs, urinary tract and skin.

Encourage patient to remain in bed for comfort.

Encourage rest. Rest is important for healing.
Avoid overworking the body. Avoid pushing yourself too hard, which can cause fatigue and even more pain.
Avoid overusing muscles, joints and other body parts that have been injured or affected by the infection (for example, you might have a headache).
Avoid overusing your heart, lungs and kidneys as these organs become taxed when you are sick with an infection

Change dressings as ordered.

The dressing should be changed every 24 hours if not ordered otherwise.

If the dressing is soiled or wet, it should be changed.

If the dressing is no longer intact, it should be changed.

The patient is experiencing pain from their wound and/or it may have become infected. This type of problem could be related to the dressings themselves being too tight, which can lead to pain when moving around. If this is the case, contact your supervisor for further instructions on how best to proceed with treatment plans for your patient’s specific needs.”

Check for new redness and tenderness of the bone.

Check for new redness and tenderness of the bone.
Check for new redness and tenderness of the bone.
If you are unable to assess this area, ask a colleague or send the patient to another health care provider or facility that can perform this procedure.

Take care of an infected patient

When caring for a patient with an infection, it is important to keep the following in mind:

Keep the patient comfortable. You can do this by helping him or her lie down and use pillows to prop up his or her head. It may also be helpful to offer ice chips or an oral pain reliever.
Make sure your patient is getting the right medication at the right time. If he or she forgets to take it, help remind him or her by setting a timer on your phone so that you can check back with him or her every four hours until he or she has taken all of his/her medications for the day (or night). The same goes for food: if your patient needs to eat at certain times throughout the course of treatment, make sure that s/he eats on schedule!
Keep everything clean! This means washing hands frequently with soap and water; keeping surfaces disinfected; wearing gloves when handling bodily fluids; disposing waste properly; cleaning up spills quickly (but don’t forget about protecting yourself from them as well); cleaning wounds properly; etc). These are just some examples—there are many more ways which you may find helpful depending on what type of infection(s) your loved one has contracted(s), but remember that being overly cautious is better than not being cautious enough!

In conclusion, infection is a serious condition and should be treated as such. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or have been diagnosed with an infection, it is important that you follow the appropriate treatment plan to ensure that it does not get worse.

Nursing Care Plan Of Infection

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Nursing Care Plan Of Infection