Which nursing actions help prevent infection when placing ointments into a patient's eye? (Select all that apply.)

Question

a. Having the patient remove contact lenses
b. Avoiding touching the tip of the applicator
c. Using separate drug tubes for the right and the left eye
d. Applying pressure over the punctum for 1 minute after instilling the drug
e. Waiting 10 minutes between the administration of more than one type of eye drug
f. Squeezing out and discarding a small amount of ointment before instilling the drug

Answer 1

B, C, F
Not touching the tip of the applicator either with your hand or the patient's eye structures pre-vents contaminating the drug tube and the eye. Using separate drug tubes for the right and left eyes prevents spreading infection from one eye into the other eye. The drug area that is most likely to be contaminated is the first half inch squeezed from the tube. By discarding this portion, the risk for infection is reduced. Removing contact lenses prevents the drug from harming the lens and ensures better distribution of the drug; waiting 10 minutes between drug applications prevents one drug from diluting the next drug and also helps prevent drug interactions; perform-ing punctal occlusion after instilling eye drugs (especially eye drops) helps ensure the drug re-mains in the eye longer to have a better effect—none of these actions help reduce the risk for in-fection.