answer each response with a paragraph each and five sentences per paragraph.
ALISON
DQ 1. After reading up to this point in your textbook, discuss the role of the nurse in surveillance and outbreak investigations. Please include three (3) examples of disease and events that needs surveillance. (Students with last name beginning with A – M).
The nurse plays an extremely active role in the process of surveillance and outbreak investigations. In this role, the nurse participates in surveillance as a means of collecting information regarding trends in diseases (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). Surveillance is an important part of the process because it allows us to monitor disease trends, and can help predict when and maybe even where an outbreak is likely to occur. These trends may be investigated in an effort to determine if there is any particular cause, or what factors may influence the the disease. The nurse is expected to identify the problem, find a cause, obtain data, and try to determine the risk(s) (Stanhope et al., 2014). Once this information has been collected, it is then analyzed by multiple sources from the community. At this point, the nurse is a part of a team working to come up with a solution to their problem.
A disease typically needs surveillance when there is a disease process that needs closer observation to determine any probable causes and to identify trends if there are any present. Examples of diseases that require surveillance include Syphilis, HIV, Smallpox (Stanhope et al., 2014). It is important to maintain surveillance on these diseases as they can be easily spread from one individual to another, and they require testing to confirm and treatment to cure or keep symptoms to a minimum. While these are just a few examples of diseases that are currently under surveillance, the list is quite extensive. Familiarizing oneself with these diseases can help the nurse to more easily access information regarding transmission and common trends with the disease.
Reference
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2014). Foundations of Nursing in the Community: Community-Oriented Practice (Fourth ed.). Elsevier Mosby.
aMANDA:
DQ 1. After reading up to this point in your textbook, discuss the role of the nurse in surveillance and outbreak investigations. Please include three (3) examples of disease and events that needs surveillance. (Students with last name beginning with A – M).
Surveillance is a critical function for nurses that are practicing in the community(Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). Surveillance is very important because brings knowledge regarding diseases and outbreak patterns such as timing and susceptible populations. Nurses must be able to determine the problem and what caused it and collect data on it as well as determine risks(Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). Providing quality surveillance requires nurses to collaborate with multiple agencies and individuals. When there are any new or increased incidences of disease within the community an investigation is warranted. This can help the nurse determine any pattern of occurrences which are then used to define any boundaries of the problem to help investigate possible causes or sources of the problem.
There are many diseases that are considered reportable to the local health department as well as on a national level. Three important ones that come to mind are: Tuberculosis, HIV, and Salmonellosis. These are several diseases that require ongoing surveillance and monitoring within the community and early detection is key to prevent further outbreaks, reduce the potential for mortality and morbidity, and also to improve the public’s health status.
Reference
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2014). Foundations of Nursing in the Community: Community-Oriented Practice (Fourth ed.). Elsevier Mosby.
