NURSING 6117OL - Infection Control Nursing

Online - Semester 1 - 2021

This course will examine nursing and medical science in relation to the control of infection. Topics include decontamination and sterilisation of medical devices, the clinical management of the patient with an infectious disease or infection, the teaching/learning process in staff education and other contemporary issues within infection control.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code NURSING 6117OL
    Course Infection Control Nursing
    Coordinating Unit Adelaide Nursing School
    Term Semester 1
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s Online
    Units 6
    Contact Online
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Restrictions Available to GCert.NursSc and M.NursSc students only
    Course Description This course will examine nursing and medical science in relation to the control of infection. Topics include decontamination and sterilisation of medical devices, the clinical management of the patient with an infectious disease or infection, the teaching/learning process in staff education and other contemporary issues within infection control.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Ms Yvette Salamon

    Course Coordinator: Yvette Salamon
    Phone: +61 8 831 32995
    Email: yvette.salamon@adelaide.edu.au
    Location: Adelaide Nursing School, Adelaide Health & Medical Sciences Building
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1 Design an effective infection control program for their health care facility that is based on current evidence based practice
    2 Discuss the causes and control measures of specific infectious diseases including during pandemics
    3 Discuss the principles used in cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation in a health care facility
    4 Illustrate the teaching and learning principles necessary for developing an educational program related to infection control and integrate this into practice.
    5 Explain the causes of nosocomial / iatrogenic infection and strategies used to contain them
    6 Discuss the influence of the physical environment on the implementation of infection control measures
    7 Formulate a plan to implement infection control principles influencing general patient care practices.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1, 2, 3
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    4, 6
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    1, 4, 7
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    2, 3, 4, 7
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    2
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    5, 6, 7
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Texts

    1. https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/australian-guidelines-prevention-and-control-infection-healthcare-2019

    2. Lee, G & Bishop, P 2016, Microbiology and infection control for health professionals, 6th, Pearson Australia, Frenchs Forest, NSW.

    Reader
    The readings for this course are available electronically via MyUni.
    Recommended Resources
    Recommended Texts


    Lautenbach E, Malani PN, Woeltje K, Han JH, Shuman EK, & Marschall J ,  (ed.) 2018, Practical Healthcare Epidemiology, 4th edn, Slack Incorporated, New Jersey.

    Note: You are not required to buy recommended texts. However, they provide valuable supplementary reading on various aspects of the material covered within this course and you are encouraged to have a look at them.
    Online Learning
    MyUni/Canvas
    All students enrolled in a postgraduate coursework nursing program have access to the School of Nursing – Postgraduate Coursework Student Centre on MyUni. If you would like the opportunity to network with other students, you can use the Communication features in the site. This site will also feature information about the latest news and events at the School of Nursing.

    Unified
    http://unified.adelaide.edu.au/
    UNIFIED is your one-stop shop for email, calendar, MyUni and Access Adelaide. It even allows you to search the Library.
    UNIFIED is available to all active students; with a single login you can access your student systems and personal information through a central website. Login with your Student ID ("a1234567") and Password.

    For more information, including easy to follow instructions visit https://unified.adelaide.edu.au/web/mycampus/home.

    Library Resources
    Help for Nursing Students
    The University of Adelaide Library has a website to help nursing students use the library and its resource (www.library.adelaide.edu.au/guide/med/nursing).

    Remote student library service
    The University of Adelaide Library provides a document delivery and loans service to non-metropolitan students who do not visit a University of Adelaide campus to attend classes (www.adelaide.edu.au/library/docdel/external.html).
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The course materials consist of a Study guide, readings and two Clinical Scenarios. There are three pieces of written assessment. The nature of infection control nursing is such that much of your learning will be grounded in your practice. Therefore, although it is not assessed formally, it is incumbent upon the student to forge the links between practice and theory.

    The weeks of the Study guide consist of commentary to guide you through the prescribed reading along with activities to assist your understanding. A comprehensive series of readings is provided in recognition of the fact that some students may not have ready access to good library facilities. Nevertheless, you are encouraged to read beyond the course reader wherever possible. You are also advised to note carefully the work that you are required to complete. The program of reading is very substantial. Links for the prescribed articles are on MyUni. You are encouraged to become familiar with accessing materials from libraries, databases and the Internet.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    While all students work at a different pace it is expected that study for this course will be approximately 24 hours per week of your time. This is a rough guide and may vary for students who have not studied recently
    Learning Activities Summary
    The content of this course is organised into twelve weeks of work. This reflects the length of the semester and you should endeavour to complete one week each week. Specifically, the course content addresses:

    • elements of an infection control program
    • quality control in an infection control program
    • evidence based practice
    • infection control link nurses
    • credentialing the infection control nurse
    • infectious diseases
    • components of the infectious disease process
    • specific infectious diseases and patient management
    • legal issues in infectious diseases
    • cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation
    • principles of cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation
    • methods of sterilisation and disinfection
    • re-use of single use items
    • outbreak investigation and management
    • investigation procedures
    • strategies for controlling an outbreak
    • data collection and reporting tools
    • patient care practices
    • infection control principles influencing general patient care
    • implementing isolation precautions
    • aseptic versus clean technique
    • hand washing and hand washing agents
    • the health care facility environment
    • architectural and refurbishment considerations
    • cleaning of the hospital environmental
    • the infection control nurse as an educator
    • principles of adult education
    • small group work
    • teaching / learning strategies
    • staff health issues relating to infection control
    • vaccination program
    • exposure risks of staff to infectious diseases.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Assessment Type Weighting Learning Outcome(s) being addressed
    Referencing Module Formative 0%
    Essay Summative 30% 2-3, 6
    Clinical Scenario Summative 35% 3, 5-6
    PowerPoint Presentation Summative 35% 4, 7
    Assessment Detail
    Plagiarism and referencing module
    In order to avoid plagiarism, students need to understand the meaning of citation, paraphrasing, quotation, and referencing. The module is an online quiz designed to ensure that student work is not plagiarised and source material is properly acknowledged according to the guidelines in the School Academic Manual. Students are encouraged to work through this quiz as many times as they need to ensure that they have a thorough understanding of these guidelines.
    The module is used as a formative assessment that has no percentage allocated to a final grade

    ESSAY
    Weighting: 30%   Length: 2,500 words
    To be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word format via the MyUni, Assignment.

    Topic
    Drawing on the material that you have covered in the first three weeks, select two infectious diseases addressed in the first 4 weeks and prepare an infection control management plan for nurses working in the area having either a patient or patients with each of these diseases.

    The management plan should outline the disease process, including the transmission of infection and source of infection, reservoir and the nursing management of the patient. Although you may briefly discuss the medical management of the patient this is not the focus of this assignment.

    The main focus is on the required nursing care for a person with this infection/disease and their needs and nursing care considerations.

    CLINICAL SCENARIO
    Weighting: 35%  Length: 2500 words
    To be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word format via the MyUni, Assignment.

    • Topic
    You will be provided with two clinical scenarios of a patient with an infectious disease. You are required to choose one clinical scenario for this assignment.

    After reading the clinical scenario you will be required to answer a series of questions in relation to the information provided within the clinical scenario. The information provided in weeks 3–9 will assist you to answer the questions.

    POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
    Weighting: 35%  Length: 25 minute presentation (2500) word equivalent)
    5 minutes questions time
    Accompanying documentation such as the assignment coversheet should still be submitted via MyUni, Assignment.

    • Topic
    For this assignment you need to select and present a current contemporary issue in infection control nursing. The choice of issue may be any aspect of infection control nursing and can include discussion on policies, procedures, and equipment or professional standards
    Submission
    Assessments, unless otherwise stated in your Study guide, are to be submitted electronically via Assignments in MyUni on the due date identified in this Study guide. Instructions for assignment submission are available for all students under Tutorials at www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/.

    Turnitin is used to submit all assignments in this course. Turnitin is a plagiarism software tool that enables the student to identify any matching text before final submission.

    An assessment submitted via MyUni must be submitted as a .doc, .docx or .rtf file. If submitting a PowerPoint presentation for marking, the .ppt or .pptx must be submitted as .pdf file. It is also important to submit your file under your name, such as surname.firstname. MyUni stamps all the other details against your filename once you submit your assessment.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Plagiarism
    Students are reminded that plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty constitute a serious offence and can result in disciplinary procedures. Students are advised to read the policy Academic Honesty and Assessment Obligations for Coursework Students Policy & Coursework Students: Academic Dishonesty Procedures policy, available at www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/230/. The following definitions should be noted.

    Referencing: providing a full bibliographic reference to the source of the citation (in a style as determined by the School).
    Quotation: placing an excerpt from an original source into a paper using either quotation marks or indentation, with the source cited, using an approved referencing system in order to give credit to the original author.
    Paraphrasing: repeating a section of text using different words which retain the original meaning.
    Please note: changing just a few words does not constitute paraphrasing.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide (https://access.adelaide.edu.au/sa/login.asp)

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.