H1 · Exposed to an infectious disease
Risk Infection and community health
Definition
The person has had contact with someone who has a contagious illness.- Close contact
- shared room
- travel
- crowds
- Fever
- cough
- rash
- known contact history
📋 Scenario
A nurse treats a patient later found to have tuberculosis.
Subjective (S): "I was near him when he coughed."
Objective (O): Contact with a tuberculosis case; no symptoms yet; staff exposed.
Assessment tools for this scenario: CP-INFECT Infection Check
Validated scales to consider: qSOFA / sepsis screen
**CarePath diagnosis:** Exposed to an infectious disease related to close contact and shared room (risk factors); no signs of the problem are present yet.
**Interventions and rationale**
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Do hand hygiene. | Hands carry germs between people and surfaces. Cleaning hands before and after contact reduces the chance of spreading infection to others or to yourself. |
| Wear masks. | A suitable mask, such as a fitted respirator for tuberculosis, filters the tiny airborne droplets that carry the bacteria and protects the person wearing it. |
| Isolate the source patient. | Placing the infectious patient in isolation prevents the germs reaching other people while exposed staff are monitored and tested. |
| Trace contacts. | Finding everyone who shared air with the case lets them be assessed and tested, so any early infection is caught and treated and further spread is stopped. |
| Test. | Testing shows whether the exposed person has been infected, even before symptoms start, so treatment can begin early and others are protected. |
| Follow protocol. | Following the local protocol makes sure that exposure is managed in a consistent, evidence-based way, with the right tests, reporting and follow-up. |
**Expected outcomes**
- Contact assessed.
- Tests done.
- No infection develops.
- Precautions followed.
**Linking the data to the diagnosis**
This is a risk diagnosis because the nurse has been exposed but is not ill. She treated a patient later found to have tuberculosis, and the statement says, "I was near him when he coughed." She has no symptoms yet, so an actual infection diagnosis would be wrong; the risk rests on close contact and exposed staff. The plan stops spread and finds infection early through precautions, contact tracing and testing. The aim is that the contact is assessed, tests are done, precautions are followed and no infection develops.
CarePath diagnosis
Exposed to an infectious disease related to close contact and shared room (risk factors); no signs of the problem are present yet.
Interventions and rationale
Listed in priority order.
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| 1. Do hand hygiene. | Hands carry germs between people and surfaces. Cleaning hands before and after contact reduces the chance of spreading infection to others or to yourself. |
| 2. Wear masks. | A suitable mask, such as a fitted respirator for tuberculosis, filters the tiny airborne droplets that carry the bacteria and protects the person wearing it. |
| 3. Isolate the source patient. | Placing the infectious patient in isolation prevents the germs reaching other people while exposed staff are monitored and tested. |
| 4. Trace contacts. | Finding everyone who shared air with the case lets them be assessed and tested, so any early infection is caught and treated and further spread is stopped. |
| 5. Test. | Testing shows whether the exposed person has been infected, even before symptoms start, so treatment can begin early and others are protected. |
| 6. Follow protocol. | Following the local protocol makes sure that exposure is managed in a consistent, evidence-based way, with the right tests, reporting and follow-up. |
Expected outcomes
- Contact assessed.
- Tests done.
- No infection develops.
- Precautions followed.
Linking the data to the diagnosis
This is a risk diagnosis because the nurse has been exposed but is not ill. She treated a patient later found to have tuberculosis, and the statement says, "I was near him when he coughed." She has no symptoms yet, so an actual infection diagnosis would be wrong; the risk rests on close contact and exposed staff. The plan stops spread and finds infection early through precautions, contact tracing and testing. The aim is that the contact is assessed, tests are done, precautions are followed and no infection develops.