Prevention In Acute Care

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Medical prevention and population well-being are essential elements in respects to the eradication of health disparities and the improvement of population health. After reading the assigned material and Healthy People 2020, the identified health outcome for my population of interest relates to the prevention of Clostridium difficile infections in the acute care setting. According to Curley and Vitale (2016) the advanced practice nurses (APRNs) role in the prevention exertions pertains to surveillance of poor health outcomes in acute care facilities by recognizing contributing factors and planning interventions to diminish costs and expand better care (p. 13).
The prevalence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), including severe infection,
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Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CDC offer clinical practice guidelines in the prevention of CDI. The agencies recommendations concentrate on surveillance, diagnosis and treatment prevention strategies that encompass valuable information concerning CDI prevention outcomes related to the measures recently mentioned. HHS developed a Steering Committee for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) action plan in three phases. The committee targeted six high-priority infections for rate reduction within the acute care setting, phase one. According to HHS, HAIs in phase one comprise of surgical site infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections, ventilator-associated events, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and CDIs. Phases two and three emphasis expansion efforts into both outpatient and long-term care facilities. In 2008, the CDC in phase one began prevention and implementation efforts that were evidence-based intervention guidelines established in preventing HAIs. Furthermore, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (2013) have a recommended toolkit guideline that focuses on the prevention of CDI. These identified resources can be utilized by the DNP nurse to promote health, by pinpointing aggregates at risk, plan focused evidence-based interventions, and measure outcomes (Curley & Vitale,

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