The nursing practice is an integral part of the medical field. It is the backbone of healthcare which supports every aspect of medical care. Involvement in every step of the treatment process exposes the nurse to a wide range of medical risks. This is a common problem that is recurrent in the practice. Handling of patients poses a risk of infection from bodily fluids and from the precautionary chemical substances used.
Nurses constantly handle body fluids from patients. They are required to collect urine and blood samples from patients and deliver them to the laboratory for testing and diagnosis. Accidental needle stick injuries may occur exposing a nurse to contagious diseases in the blood. This may occur during the drawing of blood samples or during drug administering through injections. Suturing wounds may also expose the nurse to blood borne pathogens such as HBV or HIV. Increased exposure is attributed to accidental needle injuries while handling violent patients and sometimes children. This is a growing worry in practice because it is not easy to predict violence especially in adult patients (Alavi, 2014).
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To combat this problem, majority of health care facilities use sanitizers and other chemical products to safe guard the patient. Glutaraldehyde is a popular disinfectant used along with sterility products such as ethylene oxide. Frequent exposure to the disinfectant causes side effects such as dermatitis, asthma, wheezing, conjunctivitis and lung and throat irritation. Other common complaints include sneezing and experiencing a burning sensation in the eyes. The sterility products also cause nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, headache and occasional shortness of breath. Both this products are suspected to cause reproductive problems and neurotoxicity (McCormack & McCance, 2016).
The risk of infection from bodily fluids and precautionary chemical substances is a constant problem in practice. This is because these practices cannot be eliminated in medical care. A lasting solution is needed to protect the nurses without exposing them to additional risks.
References
Alavi, N. M. (2014). Occupational hazards in nursing. Nursing and midwifery studies , 3 (3).
McCormack, B., " McCance, T. (Eds.). (2016). Person-centred practice in nursing and health care: Theory and practice . John Wiley " Sons.
