ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

Course name:	Introduction to Hospital Epidemiology
Course code:	PHC231
CRN:	21832
Assignment title or task:	In Oncology Clinic, a bloodstream infection outbreak was reported, and you were appointed to investigate the attack. Describe in detail the steps you will follow to investigate this outbreak.
Student name:
Student ID #
Submission date:

Instructor name:	*Dr. Nargis Begum Javed*
Grade:	…. Out of 5

An outbreak is defined as an increase in the occurrence of cases above what is expected in that population in that area over a particular period.

An outbreak is a sudden occurrence of a disease. In this context, an outbreak of bloodstream infection is the occurrence of an infection in the bloodstream. It is an increased frequency of bloodstream infection above the endemic rate in the given population. Bloodstream infection is an infectious disease caused by the presence of viable bacterial and fungal microorganisms in the bloodstream.

Steps I will follow to investigate the outbreak of bloodstream infection.

I will lay down the following steps investigating the outbreak of this infection to make it a success in finding all the required information so that a solution can be found.

I will prepare for the investigation.

I will prepare well for the investigation by identifying the causes of the bloodstream outbreak and factors fueling it; I will put all the tools and all the information for my guidance that I will require in the whole process. My research is on the outbreak of bloodstream infection to pay particular attention to the symptoms of the bloodstream infection, mode of its transmission, and diagnostic tests.

Verify the Diagnosis

As an investigator, you should be much informed about patient’s past health records or by interviewing those infected or family members to obtain any information on anything that might lead to determining a specific disease entry that might lead to this epidemic. According to Kojom&Singh (2020), the primary critical thought is the particular symptoms of the disease, details that could help determine the incubation period, contact with other people who might have been diagnosed or offer a higher profile symptom of the disease. More information on the same should be obtained from the laboratory results.

I will establish a case definition; identify cases.

I will define the criteria I will use for categorizing the infected individuals. I will provide clinical information that is always required for further tests: the symptoms and the lab results from the infected individuals, the age, their residences, occupation, and the time they were infected. I will then provide the case findings by providing the number of patients confirmed to be infected, the ones that show symptoms but don’t test positive for the infection, and those who are not infected.

I will conduct descriptive follow-ups on the patients.

I will investigate the changes on the infected and the ones that are not yet patients over time with their different residences to see the changes And responses of the infection with every person at their different places of residence.

I will develop a hypothesis and evaluate them.

As soon as I discover the outbreak and have investigated its causes factors fueling it, I will use the symptoms of the infection, age difference, and personal characteristics of the patients to generate a hypothesis about the disease’s origin, modes of transmission, infectious periods.

I will then evaluate the hypothesis by doing further analysis and giving ratios of the number of infections, and testing the hypothesis.

Put in Place Control and Prevention Measures

Once the outbreak has been identified and confirmed, investigators should ensure long-term control measures to cab the current outbreak or prevent future outbreaks. They should be more extensive and useful than the previous control measures that had been used.

Communicate the Findings and Write a Report

The investigator should communicate findings throughout the investigation within the organization, to other organizations, and the general public, Hunn (2020). Epidemics provide a unique opportunity to educate the public on improving health and ways of disease prevention. Report writing is always the final step during an investigation.

References

Warsame, A., Murray, J., Gimma, A., & Checchi, F. (2020). The practice of evaluating epidemic response in humanitarian and low-income settings: a systematic review. BMC medicine, 18(1), 1-13.
Kojom, L. P., & Singh, V. (2020). A Review on Emerging Infectious Disease Prioritized Under 2018 WHO Research and Development Blueprint: Lessons from India Context. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases.