Hepatitis Basics

A patient with fatigue and yellowing of the sclera may have viral hepatitis, medication-related liver injury, alcohol-associated disease, or another hepatic disorder. The first nursing question is not simply which virus is present: it is whether the liver is still performing its essential functions and whether the patient could transmit infection. Aminotransferases mainly reflect hepatocyte injury. INR, bilirubin, mental status, bleeding, and the development of ascites help reveal impaired hepatic function or decompensation. Serology then clarifies whether hepatitis B represents current infection, past infection, or vaccine-induced immunity. These distinctions change isolation measures, follow-up, treatment, and urgency. For an RPN in Canada, the practical sequence is focused assessment, appropriate precautions, collection and interpretation of ordered investigations, safe medication administration within provincial standards and employer policy, patient teaching, and prompt escalation of deterioration. The sections that follow use that sequence to connect the hepatitis virus to the bedside decision.