Nursing Responsibilities in Patients With Hepatitis C

by Sharon Perkins
Nurses should include patient education in their responsibilities to patients with hepatitis C.


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With 3.2 million Americans carrying the hepatitis C infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most nurses will encounter patients with the chronic liver infection at some point in their career. Nursing responsibilities when caring for hepatitis C patients include educating patients and families about the disease and preventing transmission of the infection to themselves or other patients.


A nurse can't catch hepatitis C or transmit it to other patients as easily as she can pick up or transmit viruses spread via the respiratory tract. Hepatitis C is transmitted only via blood and bodily fluids such as saliva and semen. It isn't spread by sharing eating utensils, drinking from the same glass or kissing. The virus can survive in dried blood for between 16 hours and four days on surfaces such as tables or floors, the CDC reports.

Standard Infection Control Precautions

A nurse who has contact with a hepatitis C patient needs only to maintain standard infection control precautions required for contact with any patient. Gowns and masks are generally not required; gloves are required when drawing blood, starting IVs or handling any bodily fluids. Needles and other contaminated objects must be properly contained or disposed of. Nurses should wash their hands between patients, even if they wear gloves, and use a new pair of gloves for each patient. Blood spills should be cleaned with solutions of one part bleach to 10 parts water.

Preventing Needle Sticks

When dealing with patients with hepatitis C in the hospital, needle sticks while drawing blood or starting intravenous infusions or leaving needles where other staff or visitors could get stuck presents present a risk of transmission of the virus. Around 600,000 to 800,000 needle sticks occur each year; around half are never reported, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports. Nurses must use the safety features on IV catheters and blood drawing sets, which cover the needle after use. Needles must be disposed of in sharps containers that keep used needles away from visitors or other nurses. Any nurse who does receive a puncture with an infected needle must report the stick to occupational health and follow hospital procedures for testing.


Patients with hepatitis C often need education about their disease and the potential complications it can cause, such as liver failure and the need for liver transplantation. The nurse should inform the patient of steps he can take to prevent making the disease worse. These include testing to determine the genotype of the disease, which affects the success of anti-viral therapy treatments, avoiding alcohol, talking to their doctor about over-the-counter medications that could worsen liver damage, such as acetaminophen, and taking steps to prevent transmission to family members. Women with hepatitis C should receive counseling on the risks of transmitting the virus to a fetus during pregnancy.

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