safety Flashcards
prenatal
- Risk from exposure to maternal smoking, alcohol consumption,
addictive drugs, x-rays, certain pesticides
newborn/infant
- Susceptible to burns, falls, choking, Need immunizations
- Car seats (children under 2 rear facing, children up to 12 in approved seats, under 12 in back seat)
toddler & preschooler
- Injuries leading cause of death in children over age 1
- Risk from poisoning, falls, fire, traffic, strangers (human & animal)
school age child
- Risk of sports injuries —Helmets, learn to swim
- Risk from stranger, firearms, traffic
adolescent
- Risk due to peer pressure/ risk taking personality
- Risks due to substance abuse, unsafe sex, driving accidents, firearms
older adult
- Slowed reflexes—can affect driving
- Risk for falls, burns
- Sensory perceptual alterations—vision, hearing, touch sense
environmental factors that affect safety
- Ventilation– CO poisoning
- Home hazards—throw rugs, guns, chemical storage, electrical
- Poor food handling
- Poor hygiene—especially hand washing
- Crowded living conditions
- Poor Insect & rodent control, sewage disposal
- Heat or cold exposure
- Unfamiliar environment, equip
psychological factors that affect safety
- Depression, Anxiety can impair judgment
physiological factors that affect safety
- Musculoskeletal impairment—arthritis, paralysis, fractures
- Cognitive impairment
o Fatigue
o Altered level of consciousness—injury, medication,
anesthesia
o Disease states—psychosis, dementia
o Impaired judgment due to disease, medications, alcohol, drugs - Cardiovascular and respiratory systems
o Diminished tolerance for activity with age, disease
o Orthostatic hypotension - Sensory or communication impairment
o Effects of medication, disease
o Neuropathy
o Sensory overload or deprivation
o Changes in vision/hearing with age
characteristics of safety
■ Truly risk free environment rare
■ Pervasiveness
– Consciously, people assume or neglect responsibility for safety
■ Perception
– Safety practices are learned
■ Management
– Prevention is a major characteristic
falls
– Risk higher in older adults
– Causes
■ Sleep deprivation
■ New environment
■ Change in medication
■ Decreases physical strength
due to illness
client inherent accidents
– Seizures: if side rails aren’t up they could fall on the floor
– Self-inflicted harm: in psych
procedure related accidents
– Medication & fluid administration errors
– Improper performance of procedures
– Improper identification of patients
ineffective communication among caregivers
– Telephone & verbal orders
– Lack of standardized abbreviations
equipment related accidents
- O2: flammable
- electrical hazards
- malfunctioning of clinical alarms
assessment of safety: nursing history
■ Current safety practices (seatbelt practices, immunizations,etc)
■ Risk identification
– Risks in workplace (what kind of job? eyewear? ear protection)
– Risk in home (look at home setup and where are they placed)
– Risk in HC agency
■ Fall risk assessment
■ Medications taken
■ Previous history of falls
- if they end up on the ground w/o meaning, that is a fall
nursing history
■ Difficulties/ recent changes
– Vision, hearing, taste
– Smell, sensation, communication
- can they smell smoke? can they taste rotten or spoiled food?
■ USE of assistive devices (hearing aids, glasses)
■ Problems with communication
– Language, sensory deficits, cognitive deficits
- someone might say help but it’s the only english word they know
physical exam LOC
– Alert (awake)
– Lethargic (Somnolent)
■ Extreme drowsiness (could answer questions but go right back to sleep)
– Stupor (Semicomatose) (elicit pain response = whole body will react)
■ Responds unpurposefully to painful stimuli
– Coma (no consciousness)
physical exam – orientation and glasgow
■ Orientation
– Person, time, place, situation
- do they know who they are? month or season? do they know they’re in the hospital and why?
■ Glasgow Coma Scale
– Normal 15
– Patient in coma scores 7 or less