Pneumococcal Pneumonia Pneumococcal Pneumonia is the most common type of pneumococcal disease. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the bacterium that is responsible for pneumococcal disease. Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes complications such as infection of the space between membranes that surround the lungs and chest cavity (empyema), inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart (pericarditis), and blockage of the airway that allows air into the lungs (endobronchial obstruction), with lung collapse (atelectasis) and collection of pus (abscess) in the lungs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Pneumococcal pneumonia can be considered a non-invasive disease meaning that the bacteria invades certain parts of the body that…show more content… As nurses and healthcare providers, we can help educate our patients about the importance of these vaccinations as well as implementing the appropriate personal protective equipment to help prevent the spread…show more content… We can implement education into both the medical as well as the social service settings in order to bring awareness of this disease. Education can be done upon admission to the health care setting as well as at discharge where we can also refer patients to other facilities where they can receive vaccinations. We can implement notifications as well as checklists into the patients chart in order to remind the nurses and physicians to ask their patients that can be at high risk for pneumococcal pneumonia if they have been vaccinated and if not, if they would like to receive the vaccination. Next, we can start a screening process for those patients who fall into the high-risk category for pneumococcal pneumonia. If we can detect this disease in the early symptoms, then we can offer and administer the vaccinations needed. Some patients may not want to receive the vaccinations. As health care providers, we should educate our patients about the importance of receiving the vaccination as well as the possible outcomes that can happen if the patient does not receive the vaccination. Lastly, if a patient is positive for pneumococcal pneumonia, we should implement precautions such as using PPE and putting up signs outside of the patient’s room notifying anyone who enters that they should put on the
