Disease Outbreak Investigation

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The first step as a public health nurse is to confirm the existence of a disease outbreak (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020). Has there been a false alarm? In this step the public health nurse needs to document the data. For instance, working in the E.R. (Emergency Room), new cases of abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea are starting to rise. We need to be sure to document that. What location are they from? What is the severity of the problem? The next step is to verify the diagnosis. The public health nurse should be collaborating with other departments to gather information. Is this happening in other cities as well? Collaborating with other departments will help with step 3 in determining the number of cases in the state. We need to be sure to collect the person, place, and time of each reported case. The public health nurse will then develop a tentative hypothesis (the best guess about what is happening) (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020). Again, the public health nurse should be checking their hypothesis with other health departments. The last step is displaying the data. Reporting of data in an investigation needs to be valid and reliable (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020). Some examples of way you can display the data are spatial maps, histogram, table, or graphs.
Reporting of Communicable Diseases
In the State of Texas, there are about 89 reportable conditions. We are required to report all confirmed and suspected cases. There is a number that is available to call 24/7. There is an available list that can be printed out. It tells you when you are required to report each notifiable condition. Some are required to call immediately. Some examples of this are anthrax, botulism, measles, plague, polio, smallpox. Some are required to be reported in a workday such as: Candida Auris, Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), HEP A/B, Human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Tuberculosis (TB). The less serious they are or less chance of causing an epidemic the later you can report. The latest being at one week. (Notifiable conditions).
BSN Essential
A BSN Essential that relates to this topic is Essential VII: Clinical Prevention and Population Health. This prepares us to use evidence-based practices for disease and outbreak investigation, screening, and outreach. It also prepares us to collaborate with other healthcare professionals to promote disease prevention. This is very important when studying disease surveillance within our community.
QSEN Essential
There are more than one QSEN essential that could fit this topic. The one that stands out most to me is the use and understanding of Evidence-based practice. This essential teaches us to use health research methods and processes, alone or in partnership with scientists, to generate new knowledge for practice. As public health nurses this is important to learn. This could help disease knowledge and prevention of future occurrences.
References

Graduate-Level QSEN Competencies Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes. (2012). American Association of Colleges fo Nursing .
Mailloux, C. (2008). Using the essential of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice as a framework for curriculum revision. Journal of Professional Nursing.
Notifiable conditions. Notifiable Conditions | Texas DSHS. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2023, from https://www(dot)dshs(dot)texas(dot)gov/notifiable-conditions
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2020). Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Health Care In The Community, Tenth Edition. St. Lousis : Elsevier, Inc.