The patient with viral hepatitis has been of considerable concern to health care professionals for many years. Researchers have identified at least three types of hepatitis (hepatitis type A, hepatitis type B, and hepatitis non-A, non-B) and knowledge of each type is rapidly increasing. Sufficient data no exist to evaluate the real risks to patient contacts and to health care personnel. Using this wealth of information, staff nurses should be able to apply the nursing process to provide optimal care for patients with viral hepatitis and to minimize the spread of this infection in the hospital setting. They should also be aware that continuing research in this field may result in additional changes in nursing care, and thus they should be prepared to revise their thinking as new information becomes available.
多年来，病毒性肝炎患者一直备受医护人员关注。研究人员已识别出至少三种肝炎类型（甲型肝炎、乙型肝炎和非甲非乙型肝炎），且对每种类型的了解正在迅速增加。目前尚无足够数据来评估患者接触者及医护人员面临的实际风险。利用这些丰富的信息，注册护士应能够运用护理程序为病毒性肝炎患者提供最佳护理，并在医院环境中尽量减少这种感染的传播。他们还应意识到，该领域的持续研究可能会导致护理方面的更多变化，因此随着新信息的出现，他们应准备好修正自己的想法。
