ID: Transmission Risk Factors

Question 1

6 factors that influence transmissibility of an organism

Answer 1

1. Virulence
2. Infectivity
3. Pathogenicity
4. Duration of Exposure
5. Size of inoculum
6. Population Immunity

Question 2

Virulence

Answer 2

ability to grow and to multiply

Question 3

Infectivity

Answer 3

the ability to enter tissues

Question 4

Pathogenicity

Answer 4

the ability to cause disease

Question 5

Duration of Exposure

Answer 5

the length of time a person needs to be exposed to the organism

Question 6

Size of the inoculum

Answer 6

number of organisms needed to cause disease

Question 7

Population immunity

Answer 7

the the community naive to new or evolved agent?

Question 8

Reservoirs

Answer 8

All organisms have a place where they can exist and reproduce that facilitates their transmission. These include:
Humans: step pneumonia, staph aureus, CDI
Animals: pig (swine- influenza), bird (avian0influenza), dogs (parasites-worms), turtles (salmonella), bats (rabies.
Insects: babesisa, malaria, rocky mountain spotted fever, west nile virus
Food: Cryptosporidia, cyclospora, salmonella, listeria
Environment Internal: inanimate objects( CDI), dus (aspergillus), water (listeria)
Environment External: Soil (coccidioides-vally fever), plants (sporothrix).

Question 9

Portal of exit

Answer 9

Respiratory
GI
Weather: wind rain
natural disaster: earthquake
Inanimate objects: contaminated
Skin/integumentary

Question 10

Portal of Entry

Answer 10

Can be the result of patient care activities, a procedure, an indwelling device, ingestion, inhalation, or absorption through the skin or mucous membranes.

Question 11

What factors render a host susceptible?

Answer 11

physiologic, environmental, occupational.
some factors can be controlled, other require the implementation of interventions to mitigate their effect.

Question 12

Patient placement

Answer 12

Policies should exist to ensure assessment of unique patient needs regarding patient placement based on their risk for exposure.

Although a private room is desirable, patients with the same airborne disease may share a room if there is no clinical contraindication.

Cohorting of patients infected or colonized with a common organism by room or personnel assignments can reduce the risk of transmission of infectious agents to other noninfected patients.

Question 13

Occupational Health Policies should linclude:

Answer 13

1. Immunization
2. Restriction to work if…diarrhea, group A strep, conjunctivitis, draining lesions, active TB, infectious rashes.
3. Assignment of patients to be cared for by immune HCP
4. Protocols established for evaluation and follow-up of employee exposure to infectious diseases.

Question 14

Host factors that influence infection risk are related to specific and nonspecific immune system components and to the number and type of microorganisms introduced into a body system.

Answer 14

Some patient factors include: immunosuppressive disease and disorders, autoimmune disease, malignant disorders, poor nutritional status, age, diabetes, extensive burn wounds, trauma, human biome, naive population status.

Medical interventions: invasive devices: indwelling catheters, ICU, exposure to antibiotics, immunosuppressive therapy, steroids, length of hospitalization, increased HCP examinations and procedures.

Question 15

Care requirements, as measured by severity of illness classifications, may be useful in HA risk stratification and are influenced by the following patient conditions.

Answer 15

1. Ability to ambulate
2. Mental Alertness
3. Ability to perform routine basic activities of daily living
4. Need for assistance to maintain normal body system functions.

Question 16

Prevention of infection in patients, staff, and visitors requires attention to both human and environmental factors. Clear and comprehensive protocols, with regular monitoring for compliance, can promote a safe patient care environment and optimal outcomes.

Answer 16

Nursing staff ratios per patient have also been shown to influenc e the risks of infection during patient care.

Question 17

International perspective:
Although many risk factors may be specific to a country, as well as the environment of care, compliance with best practices can promote improved outcomes, regardless of the environmental or organizational constraints.