S24 · Likely to spread infection to others
Risk Safety and protection
Definition
An infectious person may pass germs to other patients, staff, or family.- Infectious illness
- poor hand hygiene
- shared equipment
- crowded rooms
- Cough
- diarrhea
- rash
- fever
- others becoming ill
📋 Scenario
A patient with new diarrhea shares a room and a bathroom with other patients.
Subjective (S): "I have had loose stools since this morning."
Objective (O): 3 loose stools today; shares a bathroom; stool test pending; temperature 37.0 C; hand hygiene not yet taught.
Assessment tools for this scenario: CP-SAFE Safety & Falls Score CP-ELIM Elimination Check
Validated scales to consider: Morse Fall Scale, Bristol Stool Chart, bladder scan
**CarePath diagnosis:** Likely to spread infection to others related to possible infectious illness and a shared bathroom (risk factors); no signs of the problem are present yet.
**Interventions and rationale**
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Use isolation as needed. | Isolation separates a possibly infectious patient from others, which is important when he shares a room and bathroom. |
| Do hand hygiene. | Hand hygiene is the single most effective way to stop germs spreading between people and surfaces. |
| Wear masks and gloves. | Masks and gloves protect staff and prevent them from carrying germs to other patients on their hands and clothes. |
| Clean equipment. | Shared equipment and surfaces can carry germs from one person to another, so cleaning removes this route. |
| Teach patient and visitors. | Patient and visitors who understand why hygiene matters are more likely to follow it, protecting each other. |
**Expected outcomes**
- No other patients develop symptoms.
- Isolation maintained.
- Staff and visitors perform hand hygiene.
**Linking the data to the diagnosis**
A patient says, "I have had loose stools since this morning," and has had 3 loose stools today. He shares a room and a bathroom with other patients, his stool test is pending, his temperature is 37.0 C and hand hygiene has not yet been taught. The cause is not confirmed and no one else is ill, so this is a risk diagnosis resting on possible infectious illness and a shared bathroom. The plan aims to keep other patients free of symptoms through isolation and hand hygiene by staff, visitors and the patient.
CarePath diagnosis
Likely to spread infection to others related to possible infectious illness and a shared bathroom (risk factors); no signs of the problem are present yet.
Interventions and rationale
Listed in priority order.
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| 1. Use isolation as needed. | Isolation separates a possibly infectious patient from others, which is important when he shares a room and bathroom. |
| 2. Do hand hygiene. | Hand hygiene is the single most effective way to stop germs spreading between people and surfaces. |
| 3. Wear masks and gloves. | Masks and gloves protect staff and prevent them from carrying germs to other patients on their hands and clothes. |
| 4. Clean equipment. | Shared equipment and surfaces can carry germs from one person to another, so cleaning removes this route. |
| 5. Teach patient and visitors. | Patient and visitors who understand why hygiene matters are more likely to follow it, protecting each other. |
Expected outcomes
- No other patients develop symptoms.
- Isolation maintained.
- Staff and visitors perform hand hygiene.
Linking the data to the diagnosis
A patient says, "I have had loose stools since this morning," and has had 3 loose stools today. He shares a room and a bathroom with other patients, his stool test is pending, his temperature is 37.0 C and hand hygiene has not yet been taught. The cause is not confirmed and no one else is ill, so this is a risk diagnosis resting on possible infectious illness and a shared bathroom. The plan aims to keep other patients free of symptoms through isolation and hand hygiene by staff, visitors and the patient.