Question

A patient arrives on the unit and you do an assessment. During the assessment, you notice lice in her hair. What is your first action?

1) Isolate the patient and inform the healthcare provider
2) Ignore the lice and continue with the assessment
3) Ask the patient to leave the unit immediately
4) Call the pest control department

Answer 1

The first action would be to isolate the patient and inform the healthcare provider to prevent the spread of lice.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a patient arrives on the unit and lice are noticed in their hair during the assessment, the first action would be to isolate the patient and inform the healthcare provider. This is necessary to prevent the potential spread of lice to other patients and healthcare staff. Isolation protocols should be followed, and appropriate measures should be taken to ensure infection control.

A lice infestation, also known as pediculosis, occurs when tiny parasitic insects infest the hair and scalp of humans. The three main types of lice that infest humans are head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis), body lice (Pediculus humanus corporis), and pubic lice (Pthirus pubis).