Safety Concept

National Patient Safety Goals Environmental Safety

Injury/Illness Prevention

National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG)

• See handouts

Benefits of Safety

• Reduces episodes of illness and injury• Prevents extended length of stay or treatment• Improves and maintains functional status• Decreases physical hazards• Decreases pathogen transmission• Involves sanitation and pollution control• Validates a sense of well-being• Meets a basic human need

Physical Safety

• Decreases procedure-related accidents– Meds/IVs– Catheters – Diagnostics– Surgery

• Decreases equipment related accidents – Pumps– O2– Monitors– Lifts – Restraints

Prevent Falls

• See Box 26-4• Assess patient thru thorough hx• Use standardized risk assessment tool (634)• Post indicators of fall risk• Keep items WIR• Assess environment each time you round• Bed alarms; garment alarms; sitters; family;

room location

Restraints

• See Box 26-5 and 26-6• Restraints are discouraged. • Have to have rationale and orders that are

renewed acc’d to policy. • Patient needs to be assessed q1-2h if

restrained and removed periodically.• Chemical restraints

Seizure Precautions

• Assess risk• Pad siderails• Never restrain a patient • Protect from injury• Turn patient to side• Nothing in the mouth• Ensure ABCs• Oxygen, suction, or airways may be needed if

seizure is lengthy

Fire Safety

• Inspect electrical and O2 equipment• Know location of smoke detectors and fire

alarms• Know your facility’s plan for evacuation:– RACE = Remove pt, Alarm pulled, Contain fire,

Extinguish• Know fire extinguishers:– Types: ABC = Average, Boom, Currents– PASS = Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep

Incident Reports

• Used to record accidents, errors, or variances in the standard of care

• Has to be filled out by the person who discovered the problem. Be sure to remain objective without assumptions and blame.

• Used by Risk Management to track errors and modify procedures

• Confidential, facility-driven documents, not part of the patient’s record. Do not document that an incident report was filled out.