Bacterial infections: management by acute and critical care nurses.

Acute and critical care nurses must maintain a current knowledge base for advancing science and providing direct care for patients. When an infectious process is involved, it is the practicing nurse who must be knowledgeable in treatment and prevention modalities. The integument is the body's first line of defense for invading bacteria. This barrier to bacteria is followed by inflammation and adaptive immunity, the second and third lines of defense against infectious bacteria. It is acute and critical care nurses, however, who should be the first line of defense in preventing the spread of infectious disease. Modern medicine and common sense interventions reviewed in this article are the patient's best defense to good health and wellness when used by nurses.