In this video, you’ll learn the stages of infection. After this video, you’ll finally understand what the infection stages are so you can ace your nursing school exam.
Here’s what we’ll talk about:
There are four main stages of infection: incubation stage, prodromal stage, illness stage, and convalescence stage.
Incubation Stage:
This is where the pathogen has entered the body and before the first symptom is present. It is the behind the scenes time that the pathogen is making it’s way into the body system and the body’s immune system is unaware of the intrusion.
The incubation stage could last a few days to a few weeks.
Prodromal Stage:
This is when the first symptoms start, to when the more hallmark symptoms begin, but the symptoms aren’t specific or severe yet. It could be a low grade temperature or feeling slightly more tired than normal, but usually during this time the patient IS CONTAGIOUS and is not fully aware of which pathogen they are dealing with.
Illness Stage:
This is when the patient has all of the symptoms and they feel unwell. The symptoms will be specific to the type of pathogen and type of infection, but overall the body has mounted an immune response at this point and the general malaise, fever, unwell feeling is due to the immune response.
Convalescence Stage:
This is when the immediate symptoms of the infection start to decrease and disappear. This could last a few days to a few months depending on the infection.
The patient may also still be contagious during this time, also dependent on the pathogen.
Stages of Infection Critical Thinking:
All infections flow through these stages, it is dependent on the pathogen, immune response, and the treatment that determines the length and severity and extent of the infection.
It is important to remember that as a nurse you should be aware and thinking ahead for the next phase for your patients.
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
0:28 Overview
0:45 Incubation Stage
1:17 Prodromal Stage
1:45 Illness Stage
2:09 Convalescence Stage
2:53 CRITICAL THINKING
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
In this video we’re walking through the stages of infection. After this video, you’ll finally understand what the infection stages are so you can ace your nursing school exam.
I also have a free cheat sheet for you that I can’t wait to tell you about, so be sure to stick around until the end of the video and I’ll let you know where you can snag that.
Now hit that subscribe button and click the notification bell and let’s dive in.
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There are four main stages of infection:
- Incubation
- Prodromal
- Illness
- Convalescence stage
Identifying these stages and recognizing what stage your patient may be in will help you, as the nurse, predict and plan for your patients future needs.
It starts with the incubation stage. This is where the pathogen has entered the body and before the first symptom is present. It is the behind the scenes time that the pathogen is making it’s way into the body system and the body’s immune system is unaware of the intrusion. This could be a few days to a few weeks depending on what the pathogen is. It is also dependent on the pathogen if the patient is infectious during this time.
The next stage is the prodromal stage. This is when those FIRST symptoms start, to when the more hallmark symptoms begin. So basically when you are able to start to feel that something is off within your body, but your symptoms aren’t specific or severe yet. It could be a low grade temperature or feeling slightly more tired than normal, but usually during this time the patient IS CONTAGIOUS and is not fully aware of which pathogen they are dealing with.
The third stage is the actual illness stage. This is when the patient has all of the symptoms and they feel unwell. The symptoms will be specific to the type of pathogen and type of infection, but overall the body has mounted an immune response at this point and the general malaise, fever, unwell feeling is due to the immune response.
The last stage is the convalescence stage. This is when the immediate symptoms of the infection start to decrease and disappear. This could be a few days to a few months depending on the infection. The immune system is still working to get the pathogen completely eradicated, but it is not as acute or kicked into high drive as it was during the illness stage. The patient may also still be contagious during this time, also dependent on the pathogen.
All infections flow through these stages, it is dependent on the pathogen, immune response, and the treatment that determines the length and severity and extent of the infection. It is important to remember that as a nurse you should be aware and thinking ahead for the next phase for your patients. If your patient is not doing well and still seems to be early on in the illness, or in the prodromal phase, you know that they are going to likely become sicker, and will need a higher level of care and closer monitoring. Likewise if your patient has been through the phases and is in the convalescence stage and all of a sudden starts to not do as well, you may have to look for other infections or causes for this change.
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