Case Scenario 2- Sidney the stray: You have received a call from a client about a stray kitten, Sidney that they have adopted in the last 48 hours. The client is concerned about his apparent skin problems and describes multiple round crusty lesions and patchy fur on Sidney. He seems to be eating ok, and the client reports that Sidney is very playful, although appears to have a swollen front paw that he occasionally limps on. The client would like to make an appointment for the lameness to be checked by the vet and for Sidney to be vaccinated (if the vet feels he is old enough).Sidney is admitted for treatment for 24 hours. He is to receive intravenous fluids, an analgesic injection and a topical skin cream for lesions. You were responsible for discharging him back to the client. 1. What part of your conversation with Sidney’s owner might alert you to the fact that this could be an infectious case? Which infective agent would you be worried about? Upon talking to Sidney’s owner, you would be alerted to a possible infectious case when the client discussed with you that Sidney had multiple round crusty lesions and patchy fur on his body.
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The infective agent that is concerning are the round crusty lesions.
2. What advice will you give to the client when bringing Sidney in to the clinic to manage the risk of spreading the infection?
The advice given to the client when bringing Sidney in to the clinic to manage the risk of spreading infection would be:
To bring Sidney in an appropriate cat carrier with a blanket over the top
Advise the client to thoroughly wash their hands after placing Sidney into the carrier and to not touch him again before the vet sees him (this way the client won’t be touching surfaces with possible infectious agents on her hands)
It is also advisable that you ask the owner to remain in the car upon arrival at the clinic until the veterinarian is ready to see Sidney (this will minimise some risk of potentially spreading any infectious material/matter)
3. The vet has requested that you perform a TPR on Sidney before he sees him. You have a small cut on your hand. What steps will you take to do this safely? (Include what you would do from before you enter the room to when you leave with a focus on preventing the spread of infection). The steps you would take to do this safely include: Covering the cut with a band aid Putting on appropriate PPE including a gown (disposable if possible) and disposable gloves (wash your hands prior to placing on the PPE so that you are not introducing any other material or potentially infectious agents onto Sidney/in the examination room and also wash your hands again after placing the PPE on and before placing gloves on) Before exiting the room, remove your gown/apron and hang it up inside the room (this is to be specifically used only when handling Sidney), remove gloves and dispose of them appropriately, thoroughly wash and disinfect hands using an appropriate soap and hand disinfectant. The equipment you are using to perform the TPR will be a rectal thermometer and stethoscope. You may also use aural examination equipment, scales and otoscope if required. This equipment should be isolation specific and be thoroughly disinfected after each use. When recording the results you should write them down immediately. This should be done on the patient’s file via the computer. To record your results you should remove your gloves, wash/disinfect your hands thoroughly and then use the computer to record your TPR findings. 4. Sidney’s claw punctures one of your gloves whilst you are examining him and causes a small puncture wound in your hand that bleeds. How will you handle and report this? To start, I’d be asking for some assistance from another available veterinary nurse or the vet that is in charge of the case. If someone was available to assist with Sidney, then I’d go and seek first aid immediately. If there was no one to assist then I’d place Sidney back in his carrier, apologise to the owners, and seek first aid for the puncture wound whilst alerting another member of staff about what’s happened. Once
The infective agent that is concerning are the round crusty lesions.
2. What advice will you give to the client when bringing Sidney in to the clinic to manage the risk of spreading the infection?
The advice given to the client when bringing Sidney in to the clinic to manage the risk of spreading infection would be:
To bring Sidney in an appropriate cat carrier with a blanket over the top
Advise the client to thoroughly wash their hands after placing Sidney into the carrier and to not touch him again before the vet sees him (this way the client won’t be touching surfaces with possible infectious agents on her hands)
It is also advisable that you ask the owner to remain in the car upon arrival at the clinic until the veterinarian is ready to see Sidney (this will minimise some risk of potentially spreading any infectious material/matter)
3. The vet has requested that you perform a TPR on Sidney before he sees him. You have a small cut on your hand. What steps will you take to do this safely? (Include what you would do from before you enter the room to when you leave with a focus on preventing the spread of infection). The steps you would take to do this safely include: Covering the cut with a band aid Putting on appropriate PPE including a gown (disposable if possible) and disposable gloves (wash your hands prior to placing on the PPE so that you are not introducing any other material or potentially infectious agents onto Sidney/in the examination room and also wash your hands again after placing the PPE on and before placing gloves on) Before exiting the room, remove your gown/apron and hang it up inside the room (this is to be specifically used only when handling Sidney), remove gloves and dispose of them appropriately, thoroughly wash and disinfect hands using an appropriate soap and hand disinfectant. The equipment you are using to perform the TPR will be a rectal thermometer and stethoscope. You may also use aural examination equipment, scales and otoscope if required. This equipment should be isolation specific and be thoroughly disinfected after each use. When recording the results you should write them down immediately. This should be done on the patient’s file via the computer. To record your results you should remove your gloves, wash/disinfect your hands thoroughly and then use the computer to record your TPR findings. 4. Sidney’s claw punctures one of your gloves whilst you are examining him and causes a small puncture wound in your hand that bleeds. How will you handle and report this? To start, I’d be asking for some assistance from another available veterinary nurse or the vet that is in charge of the case. If someone was available to assist with Sidney, then I’d go and seek first aid immediately. If there was no one to assist then I’d place Sidney back in his carrier, apologise to the owners, and seek first aid for the puncture wound whilst alerting another member of staff about what’s happened. Once