Safety
• Safety is the primary concern when caring for clients.Falls are the most frequent cause of injury for elderly clients in acute care.
• Know the institution’s plan for fire drills and evacuation.
• Know the emergency phone number for reporting fire.
• Know locations of all fire alarms, exits, and extinguishers.
• ARCE: Activate fire alarm, Rescue clients, Contain fire by closing doors and windows, Extinguish flames with an appropriate fire extinguisher In a fire, never use an elevator - use stairs in emergency exit Turn off all oxygen supplies in the area of the fire.
• In a fire, close all doors and windows.
• In a power failure, only certain electrical outlets access the emergency generators. Know which ones they are.
• Know your agency’s policy for cleaning up a biohazardous spill.
• Safety devices are used only as a last resort. Use the least restrictive immobilizing device.
Poisons
• Never induce vomiting unless instructed to do so by a poison center or health care provider.
• If you suspect someone has taken poison, take the poisonous substance with you to the emergency room.
Infection
• Infection control with the use of standard precautions, transmission precautions and medical and surgical asepsis decreases the spread of infection.
• The major sites for nosocomial infections are urinary and respiratory tracts, blood, and wounds.
• All nosocomial infections that occur in hospitals must be tracked and recorded by risk management.
• The single most effective way to prevent infection is hand washing.
• Handwashing is the most effective method of preventing infection; friction is the most important variable.
• Standard precautions are used for contact with all body fluids except sweat.
• Standard precautions are used for all clients, and transmission precautions are used for all clients with transmittable organisms.
• Special (N95) respirator masks are necessary to care for clients under airborne precautions who have tuberculosis.
• Protective (neutropenic) isolation is used for clients with immunosuppression and low white blood counts.
