An intravenous (IV) drug abuser admits to the CHN that he has no desire to give up his addiction, so the CHN counsels him on the importance of sterilizing his needles to prevent infection and transmission of blood-borne diseases.Which level of prevention does this action represent?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Tertiary prevention is implemented in people who already have a health concern or problem (in this instance, someone who is already addicted) to prevent complications (harm reduction).In this instance, because the client does not plan to stop the drug abuse, the CHN is trying to prevent complications arising from use of contaminated needles.Emphasis is placed on reducing the transmission of blood-borne diseases through contaminated needles.Giving up the addiction is the best solution but unrealistic for many addicts.Using the harm reduction model, the CHN should provide education on cleaning needles with bleach between uses and about needle exchange programs to decrease the spread of blood-borne pathogens.

An Intravenous (IV) Drug Abuser Admits to the CHN That