Safety Flashcards
Goals designed to focus on client safety, safe and effective delivery of health care, and recommendations to avoid adverse outcomes.
National Patient Safety Goals
The first part of the NPSG to identify every client using two identifiers accurately. These may consist of the client’s name, date of birth, hospital ID number, telephone number, or alternate client-specific documentation. (The second part of the goal is to ensure that the treatment, procedure, or care is for that client specifically).
Two Client identifiers
Used at the time of medication administration when both the medication and the client’s facility-issued identification band are scanned to ensure the right medication is being administered to the right client.
Barcode scanning
List two client identifiers and when the nurse should check these.
The nurse should use two client identifiers, which may include the client’s name, date of birth, hospital number, telephone number, or alternative client-specific documentation. The nurse should use two client identifiers to ensure that the medication, treatment, procedure, or care is intended for that specific client.
Lab or diagnostic procedure results that are out the expected reference range and can be life-threatening or potentially fatal if not immediately improved.
Critical results
Medications that inhibit the blood’s ability to clot.
Anticoagulant medications
The process when the physician assesses the current home medications with the newly prescribed drugs. It must be completed on client admission, transfer, or discharged rom the hospital.
Medication reconciliation
Audible alert devices that are built into medical equipment. Their function is to provide a warning of a potentially serious event that is occurring. The other feature is that they warn when there is a machine malfunction.
Clinical alarm systems.
Sensory overload from noise pollution created in part by the numerous distress alerts.
Alarm fatigue
Nosocomial infections. Infections that occurred while the client was in the hospital.
Hospital-associated infections
Occurs when pathogens enter the bloodstream via central line, which accesses a larger vein in the body and can remain in place for long periods of time.
Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI)
Occurs when pathogens enter the urinary system via a catheter inserted through the urethra into the bladder.
CAUTI / Catheter-associated urinary tract infection
An infection that occurs in the part of the body where a surgery occurred.
Surgical-site infection
Pneumonia that develops while a client is on a ventilator.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP)
An event that is not consistent with the desired or normal operation.
Adverse event
A joint commission mandated pause taken by all personnel in the procedure or operating room. This brief suspension allows identifying the correct patient, site, the procedure to be performed.
Time-out
List three measures to prevent adverse events in surgery.
Prevention is crucial to minimize adverse events. The NPSG states that hospitals, surgery centers, and diagnostic centers perform a series of safety checks before beginning any invasive procedure or surgery.
Use two client identifiers to establish the client’s identity.
Mark the surgical site if possible.
Perform a timeout in the operating/procedure room.
The practice of scheduling (every 1 hour) a member of the nursing staff to see the client and proactively address their needs such as toileting, positioning, pain, and safety checks (siderail and bed position, proximity of call bell to the client, etc.)
Hourly rounding
A dedicated group whose responsibility is to bring proactively critical care to the bedside.
Rapid response team (RRT)
A potential error or event or circumstance that could have caused harm but that was caught and avoided.
Near miss
Unexpected event or circumstance that occurred with or without injury to the client but that had the potential to cause harm to the client.
A client safety event
Critical, unexpected adverse event that causes severe physical or psychological harm to a client, including death, dismemberment, permanent injury, and severe or temporary injury.
Sentinel event
A nurse is caring for a client who has been exposed to high levels of radiation. Which of the following manifestations should the nurse identify as initial findings of radiation contact?
Vomiting, burns, diarrhea, Alopecia
A client leaves or wanders away from a health care facility.
Elopement
List measures for universal fall precautions.
Use of nonskid footwear
Keeping the bed in the low position
Locking the wheels of beds
Placing the brakes on wheelchairs
Maintaining a clutter-free environment
Adequate lighting
Placing the call light and belongings within clients’ reach
Fall prevention education for clients, along with basic orientation to the room and call light system
The manual holding or immobilizing the client using physical strength.
Physical restraint
A physical device that is applied to a person to restrict their movement. It may consist of the use of materials such as straps, fabric, leather devices that can fasten around the client’s wrists or ankles.
Mechanical restraints
The administration of medications (including benzodiazepines, antipsychotics, and neuromuscular blocking agents) to reduce the client’s movement or control behavior. Another definition is the administration of drugs by force to control the client’s behavior.
Chemical restraint
