Essay Example on Informatics Programs to Curb Spread of Infectious Diseases

Introduction

The rising cases of infectious diseases have led to the establishment of nursing informatics and projects to curb the spread of such maladies. Such programs are created with the sole purpose of understanding their effects on patient outcomes and healthcare efficiencies. As a result, the use of this paper is to analyze an example of an informatics program scheduled to mitigate the spread of contagious diseases like Coronavirus, flu, whooping cough, and tuberculosis, among others. There are technologies and healthcare programs developed to prevent the spreading of these diseases. A good example is the quarantine program, where a suspected patient is isolated and administered with the necessary treatment for diagnosis and prevention of infecting other people. The paper covers the description of the project, the stakeholders involved, patient outcomes, technologies required to make the project successful, and the project team.

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Description of the project

The project discussed in this paper involves a handwashing guideline as a means of reducing or preventing further spread of infectious diseases like coronaviruses. The COVID-19 virus has been trending in the world news for spreading so fast and has consequently caused the death of thousands of people in Asian countries like China (Wang, 2016). It is easy to infect healthy people, knowingly or unknowingly. As a result, this project is meant to educate the public on the implementation of hand hygiene as a way of preventing the spread of such diseases. An example of the Coronavirus has been suggested for this project following the rapid spread of the disease to different parts of the world. Globalization has made it a world pandemic since citizens of the most affected nations travel around the globe majorly for business.

The project shall involve information-sharing programs on the effects of the contagious groups and the vulnerable groups. Additionally, it will include a handwashing guideline on how to stay clean in an environment exposed to health risks. A hand-washing detergent probably containing ethanol or alcohol shall be provided for the process. The process involves eight essential steps (Vijay, 2020). First, using the alcohol-based formulation, apply a handful of the detergent on your palms with the hand-folded like a cup to prevent any leakage. Second, rub the palm of your hands against each other. Third, rub smear the detergent on the left palm over the right dorsum and vice versa. Fourth, rub palms with the fingers entwined. Fifth, rub the backs of your fingers against the palms. Sixth, rub your left thumb clasped in the right palm and vice versa. Seventh, rub clasped fingers of the left hand against the right palm continuously. Lastly, if the hands are dry during the last stage, this is a safety indication. You are now free to rinse them in running water.

Other than hand washing, exposed groups should follow the following guidelines to stay safe from being infected. First, stakeholders should understand and encourage suspected patients following the doctor's instructions to the latter (Anthony et al., 2017). It may involve ensuring that they take the prescribed medication on time and follow all guidelines. Second, all caregivers are encouraged to monitor the patient's signs and symptoms. They should inform the assigned health provider upon realizing that the patient's health is deteriorating. The facility shall then prepare a secluded area to host the victim confirmed with laboratory COVID-19 and prevent cases of infecting innocent people in the same facility. Third, the patient, once in the homestead, must be secluded in a private room. Households should refrain from sharing the bathroom or bedroom with the patient. Fourth, since the viruses may affect animals too, the patients shouldn't touch any pets such as cats or dogs as this could infect them with the disease (Wang, 2016). One should also wear a facemask whenever under the same room as the infected person. That way, it will prevent coming into contact with the virus through the patient's stool, urine, blood, sweat, sputum, mucus, vomit, or urine. Facemasks cannot be reused and must be disposed of safely. Afterward, the caregiver should clean his or her hands using the alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Stakeholders

The project shall affect all intimate partners, members of households, and caregivers with access to non-healthcare settings with the presence of suspected victims of the disease who are yet to seek medical care and those diagnosed with the disease and have been released back to their homes. Such people are at a higher risk of contracting the disease as compared to none exposed groups. Therefore, this program will be exclusively for the pre-exposed groups.

Patient Outcomes

Whereas the guidelines given above are entirely directed on the stakeholders or caregivers attending to patients, this section deals with patient efficiency through the project. In the end, it is expected that the patient's health is improved. However, this can only be the case if the following steps are followed. First, the patient is required to stay at home unless when going for a medical appointment (Maier et al., 2015). One should avoid public places like school or work and should refrain from using public transportation means. The patient will be able to monitor his own health without infecting others. Second, one should separate himself from animals and other people in the home to avoid the transmission of the disease. Third, the patient should inform the assigned health provider before visiting the clinic. The doctor will be able to plan the visit by creating an isolation room and wearing facemasks. Additionally, other users of the health facility will be quickly notified to flee the location before the patient arrives. Fourth, a patient is required to wear a facemask whenever in the presence of other people (Burell et al., 2016). Fifth, one should cover their mouths and noses when sneezing or coughing to prevent contamination. Sixth, one should wash his hands for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom, sneezing, or coughing.

Moreover, the patient should not touch his eyes, mouth, or nose with dirty hands. Hands should be washed using a hand sanitizer with at least 60 % concentration of alcohol. In the end, it is expected that one patient's health is put under control to prevent infecting others.

Required Technologies

Several organizations are joining hands to deal with the spread of respiratory diseases like Coronavirus (Vijay, 2020). As a result, technologies are being developed to ensure that the fight against these maladies becomes successful. An excellent example of such techniques is the creation and distribution of facemasks. They provide that one's air is not exhaled freely and consumed by unknowing citizens. Second, there is the use of robots to attend to patients already confirmed to be possessing the COVID-19 virus. Lastly, most countries are putting g the quarantine method into full implementation. It implies the isolation of patients from members of the public.

Project Team

The project shall encompass all the stakeholders mentioned earlier. The caregiver shall be expected to handle one patient to the last minute. The intimate couple shall play the role of informing the crowd about the possible ways of contracting the disease (Kon & Rai, 2016). Lastly, households are expected to monitor the health of their loved ones while in the home area.

Conclusively, this paper entails a summary of the various informatics available for dealing with Coronavirus. Governments are advised to adopt the above techniques when dealing with the spread of the disease in their countries.

References

In Wang, L. (2016). Animal Coronaviruses.

In Vijay, R. (2020). MERS coronavirus: Methods and protocols.

Burrell, C. J., Howard, C. R., & Murphy, F. A. (2016). Fenner and White's medical virology.

In Maier, H. J., In Bickerton, E., & In Britton, P. W. (2015). Coronaviruses: Methods and Protocols.

Anthony, S. J., Johnson, C. K., Greig, D. J., Kramer, S., Che, X., Wells, H., Hicks, A. L., ...

Goldstein, T. (2017). Global patterns in coronavirus diversity. (Virus evolution.)

Kon, K., & Rai, M. (2016). Microbiology of respiratory system infections.