Question

5. Nancy Moore, a registered nurse, is assisting Dr. Smith while he performs a minor surgical procedure. Dr Smith is known to have a quick temper, and he becomes very angry if a surgical procedure is delayed for any reason. As Nancy is handing a needle with suture thread to Dr Smith, she feels a slight prick in her sterile gloves. She tells Dr Smith about this and explains that she will have to be excused from the procedure for a few minutes while she changes gloves. He becomes angry and tells her to “forget about it and help me finish.”

Will it be harmful to anyone if Nancy wears the gloves during the rest of the procedure, since it is just a slight prick and the patient’s wound doesn’t seem to be infected? Who is at fault if the patient does develop an infection? What recourse does Nancy have if she develops a bloodborne pathogen infection, such as hepatitis, from the small hole in her gloves? (3)

Answer 1

Nancy is at high risk for getting infection simultaneously the patient and the colleagues who are in the surgical team are at risk for blood borne infection.

The surgeon is at fault if the patient develops infection at first as a primary cause and the nurse forms the second fault for not abiding to the universal protocol to change the gloves at any cost if it is damaged or torn during a procedure besides getting anyones permission.

The recource which Nancy has if she develops blood borne infection like hepatitis are

• Vaccination against the infection of hepatitis
• Immunoglobulin therapy is the line of treatment for her in order to reduce the chance of bloodborne infection