A male IV drug abuser admits to the nurse that he has no desire to stop using drugs,so rather than lecture him on the dangers of drug addiction,the nurse counsels him on how to sterilize his needles.Which of the following prevention efforts is the nurse attempting to achieve?

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Tertiary prevention is for people who already have a disease or problem (in this instance,someone already abusing IV drugs)to prevent complications (harm reduction).In this instance,because the client does not plan to stop taking drugs,the nurse is trying to prevent complications related to use of contaminated needles and reduce the transmission of disease through sharing contaminated needles with others.Using the harm reduction model,the nurse should provide education on cleaning needles with bleach between uses and inform the addict about needle exchange programs to decrease the spread of the blood-borne pathogens.This client is already using IV drugs,thus,the nurse will be intervening at the tertiary level of prevention.Secondary and primary prevention strategies would not be appropriate when working with this client who already has a known problem.

A Male IV Drug Abuser Admits to the Nurse That