Direct Care In The Occupational Setting Flashcards
Advanced practice nursing
An umbrella term for a licensed registered nurse prepared at the graduate degree level as a clinical specialist, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife or nurse practitioner
Primary care
The provision of integrated, accessible and coordinated health care service
Characteristics of primary care
- Person centered, wholistic, all levels of prevention
- Provided in partnership with clients, context of family and community
- Provided by multidisciplinary health care team, goal improving outcomes
- “Health care providers” and “clinicians” used to describe those who provide primary care
Professional and regulatory parameters of practice
- Standards (Standard I: Assessment and Standard II: Diagnosis)
- Competencies (Category I: Clinical and Primary Care)
- Licensure laws (scope of practice)
Nurse licensure compact
A mutual recognition model if nurse licensure that allows a nurse to have one license (in state of residency) and to practice (physical and electronic) in other states, subject to each states practice law and regulation
Range and scope of direct care services may include the following:
- Care for occupational and non occupational conditions
- First aid
- Emergency care
- Minor acute care
- Chronic illness management
- Full service primary care
- 24 hour call
- Prevention based services
- Case management of occupational and non occupational health problems
- Home care
- Telehealth services
Examples of prevention based services
- Health promotion and screening programs and services
- Pre placement programs
- Immunizations
- Health surveillance
Telehealth
Refers to the use of electronic information to support long distance health service delivery, health education and health administration
Direct care services can be offered to:
- Workers
- Dependents
- Retirees
Service providers onsite may include
- Occupational and environmental health nurses
- Clinical nurse specialists in occupational health
- Adult or family nurse practitioners who specialize in occupational and environmental health
- Family or primary care physicians or doctors of osteopathy who specialize in preventive medicine/ occupational medicine
- Physical therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Massage therapists
- Mental health professionals
- Other providers based on a needs assessment
Rationale for providing on site direct care services:
- Greater convenience for workers
- Less down time resulting from absence due to sickness and visits to offsite health care providers
- Greater opportunity for case management to monitor quality, outcomes and cost of care
- Fast and accurate determination of work related etiology
- Opportunity for timely prevention/ loss control activities at worksite
- Accommodations are made by onsite providers who are knowledgeable about the work site
- Opportunity to reinforce safe work practices with each worker encounter
- Ability to tailor direct care services to the risk profile of the company
- Cost savings by controlling duplicate health care services and reducing absence from sickness
- Opportunity to reinforce self care approach to health
Factors to evaluate to determine if direct care is needed onsite
- Hazard profile of company
- Geographic proximity to nearest emergency facilities
- Injury and illness statistics (both occupational and nonoccupational)
- Demographics of the work force
- Health benefit coverage
- Company philosophy about direct care activities for workers
- Financial and personnel resources
Demographics of work force that would be a factor in determining need for onsite direct care
- Number of workers
- Age
- Gender
- Length of employment with firm
Health care coverage components that would be a factor in determining need for onsite direct care
- Number of workers with coverage
2. Inclusion or exclusion of preventive and mental health services
Ethical considerations for direct care in the occupational setting
- Confidentiality of personal health information of workers and their dependents must be safeguarded according to professional codes of conduct and state and federal laws
- Provider must balance the “duty to warn” against right to privacy of worker/dependent
- Prioritize direct care services and do not duplicate direct care services that could be funded through health care insurance coverage
- Workers have the right to know about hazards in work setting and must be notified of an exposure or abnormal physical finding
Legal considerations for direct care in the occupational setting
- Documentation must be done according to professional codes of conduct and AAOHN standards
- APNs can prescribe medications
- Activities related to care of clients must comply with OSHA standards and state law for ensuring direct care providers are free from disease
- Potential liability arises if there is malpractice by the direct care provider
Professional considerations for direct care in the occupational setting
- Providers must be competent to perform direct care activities and must practice within the states business and professions code and scope of practice
- AAOHN standards guide professional practice
- Outcomes of clinical care must be measured and clinical care evaluated using continuous quality improvement model
- Standardized language for occupational and environmental health nursing must be adopted to document both processes
- Secure data management systems must be created not only for individual care but also population based disease management
- Policies and procedures outlining practice understandings and consultation/referral mechanisms must be delineated
- Direct care activities must be linked to prevention activities at the worksite
Primary emphasis of direct care activities
- Health promotion
2. Health protection
Health promotion
- Begins with people who are basically healthy
- Uses strategies related to personal life style
Health promotion activities may include
- Physical exercise
- Weight control
- Nutrition
- Reduction of the use of alcohol
- Reduction of the use of tobacco
Health protection strategies
- Are related to environmental or regulatory measures that confer protection on large population groups
- Include food and drug safety and environmental health initiatives
Three levels of prevention
- Primary
- Secondary
- Tertiary
Unique knowledge needs for direct care in occupational health
- Physical and mental requirements of a workers job
- Work processes
- Potential hazards
- Personal protective equipment
- Link between work site exposure and adverse health effects
- Link between worker health status and a safe work environment
- Clinical practice guidelines and evidence based practice for treatment and disability management
- Clinical care philosophy that promotes safe work as therapeutic
- Counsel, educate and coach effectively
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to manage multiple health and illness conditions
- Awareness of connection between physical and psychosocial aspects of illness
- Medical record documentation that safeguards personal health information in employment settings
- Legal standards that may specify care components for screening or surveillance
Examples of knowledge of the physical and mental requirements of the worker’s job known by OHN
- Essential job criteria
2. Reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act
Examples of topics an OHN would need to be able to effectively counsel, educate and coach on
- Risk communication
- Self care
- Return to work
Why are excellent communication skills required by the OHN
- Coordinate care
- Share rationale for treatment
- Advocate for injured workers and their families through the workers compensation/ disability systems
Example of how the OHN manages multiple health and illness conditions
By interfacing with nurse case managers employed by insurance carriers, health plans and/or employers
Examples of legal standards that specify care components for screening and surveillance
- OSHA standard for asbestos
2. Department of Transportation requirements
Operational requirements for forest care activities in an occupational health setting
- Facility/ equipment requirements
- Supplies
- Administrative needs
Examples of facility/ equipment requirements for direct care activities
- Private space to maintain confidentiality
- Client gowns and sheets
- Hand washing facility
- Locked file cabinet for medical records
- Small refrigerator for medications and specimens
- Emergency response equipment
- Equipment to conduct examinations
- Screening equipment
Examples of emergency response equipment needed for direct care activities
- Oxygen
- AED
- Electrocardiogram
- Intravenous lines
- Allergic response equipment
- Eyewash
- Decontamination area
Examples of equipment to conduct examinations needed for direct care activities
- Clinic table
- Light source
- Blood pressure equipment
- Oto-ophthalmoscope
- Stethoscope
- Reflex hammer
- Tuning forks (256 and 512 Hz)
- Cotton swabs
- Tongue depressors
- Peak flow meters
- Goniometer for range of motion
- Jamar to measure grip strength
- Tape measure
- Gloves
Examples of screening equipment needed for direct care activities
- Audiometer or sound booth
2. Spirometer
Examples of supplies needed for direct care activities in an occupational health setting
- Medications
- Safe needle devices and needle disposal units
- Miscellaneous supplies
Examples of medications needed for direct care activities
- Vaccinations
- Epinephrine
- Prescribed medications
- Over the counter medications
Examples of miscellaneous supplies needed for direct care activities
- Splints
- Ice packs
- Eye patches
- Suture kits
- Urine drug testing
Examples of administrative needs for direct care activities in occupational health setting
- Systems and supplies for record keeping
- Educational material
- List of referrals
Examples of systems and supplies for record keeping needed for direct care activities
- Intake form
- Informed consent form for treatment, operations and procedures
- Billing
- Health history questionnaire for initial visit and follow-up
- Encounter form
- Referral form
- Lab/x-ray form
- Prescription pads
- Physical therapy order forms
- Reappointment process
- Release of medical information forms
- Workers compensation forms
- Other mandatory reporting
- Recording in OSHA 300 log
Components of acceptable educational materials for direct care activities
- Culturally sensitive materials
- Simple text and liberal use of diagrams
- Manage literacy and language range
- Selected consumer oriented health websites for self care education
Example of list of referrals
- Community resources
- Providers
- Organizations
Health history
Provides a database of subjective data that encompasses all aspects of the individual’s health including current and past occupational and environmental exposures
Purposes of a health history are:
- To establish a health care relationship
- To identify active and potential physical and mental health problems
- To determine a risk profile for preventable health concerns
Components of a comprehensive health history include:
- Client profile
- Chief complaint
- History of present illness
- Past medical history
- Medications and allergies
- Family history
- Personal and social history
- Health habits
- Occupational and environmental health history
- Review of systems
Components of client profile
- Demographic data
- Age
- Sex
- Nationality
- Job title
Chief complaint
Reason for visit
Main reasons for visit
- Illness
- Injury
- Prevention focused
History of present illness
- HPI
- includes questions about the seven symptom descriptors and supportive positive and negative data from other sections of the database
Seven symptom descriptors are:
- Location/radiation
- Setting
- Quality
- Quantity/severity
- Chronology
- Aggravating/alleviating factors
- Associated manifestations
Location/radiation
- Where exactly is the pain/symptom located
- Trace where it radiates
Setting
What were you doing when you noticed the symptom?
Quality
- How bad is it?
- On a 1-10 scale, with 10 being the worst, how would you rate your symptom?
- What is the functional impact of the symptom?
Chronology
- When did this start?
- Is it getting better, worse?
- How long does each episode last?
Aggravating/alleviating factors
- What makes it worse?
- What makes it better?
- Describe specific work activities that may have caused or aggravated symptom
Associated manifestations
Are there any other symptoms associated with it?
Supportive positive/negative data related to the symptom include:
- Past medical history
- Family history
- Personal/social history
- Occupational/environmental history
- Review of systems
Past medical history for supportive positive/negative data
- PMH
- Focus on any prior work up for the same symptom; any significant prior injury/illness that might contribute to current complaint
Family history for supportive positive/negative data
Any significant family history of an illness that might contribute to current complaint?
Personal/social history for supportive positive/negative data
- Are there any contributing factors from diet, alcohol, smoking, drug use, exercise?
- Any new stressors?