Today’s nursing environment is not one for the weak of heart. Nurses sometimes compromise basic skill and safety measures to deliver speedier service because of staff shortages, sicker patients, & a priority on patient pleasure above all things. Fortunately, there are easy actions you may do to increase safety. These five nurse safety tips will assist you avoid visiting the workplace wellness department, regardless of where you work—a hospital, an outpatient environment, or anywhere else.
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Why Is Nursing Safety Important?
For several reasons, nurse safety is essential. Safety procedures assist reduce the danger of slips, falls, infections, cross-contamination, & medication errors, amongst other risks, in addition to promoting patient wellbeing by reducing the likelihood of errors. Improving patient outcomes, lowering the occurrence of nurse burnout, and lowering staff stress levels are all possible via taking steps to create and sustain a safe workplace.
Finally, safety in nursing is crucial since it reduces the possibility of serious financial and legal consequences for RNs, such as licence suspension and loss of licensure, resulting from mistakes committed during patient care.
Tips For Nursing Safety
In order to protect each other and their patients, nurses have to be diligent in following safety procedures. The actions that RNs may execute to reduce risks at work are listed below.
1. Use Needles Cautionally
Accidental needlestick injuries pose a frighteningly frequent hazard to the security of nurses. Intense pressure, haste, and unpredictable individuals are all factors in the likelihood of needlestick injuries. Utilise the needle’s safety features, insert the needle into the patient with your fingers behind it, and put the syringe and needle straight into the sharps container.
And keep in mind that you must never recap the needle by hand. Use the scoop method that you were taught on the first day of nursing school if you’re going to summarise it.
2. Treat Patients With Respect
Patient handling and transport is another frequent nursing safety concern. Patients are frequently quite unwell by the time they get there to the hospital and most likely have no ability to care for themselves. This may make nurse injuries more likely.
Promote the use of lifts and transfer equipment to guarantee the protection of patients and nurses if your hospital or unit lacks them. Use them if you have them. Even while getting the patient into the sling can take a bit longer, it’s still faster than fighting to file a workman’s compensation claim if you get hurt.
3. Carefully Administer Medication
Be aware of any unique handling guidelines for any medications you give to your patients. Whenever delivering some medications, two pairs of gloves and a mask are require. Nurse safety might be gravely jeopardised by inadvertent exposure.
Other medications are excrete in the urine, therefore necessitates additional safety measures. In order to protect the safety of you, your coworkers, and your patients, talk to a chemist before taking any unusual medications.
4. Avoid Injuries From Repetitive Motion
Minimising injuries from repetitive movements is an additional aspect of nursing safety. The significance of making an investment in high-quality shoes cannot overstate. In order to give the foam insoles a chance to recuperate and degrade more gradually, think about rotating various pairs of them.
When working, put on compression socks or stockings. At the end of each day, your legs, feet, as well as the rest of your body will be grateful to you. Go contact a doctor if you notice that anything consistently hurts at the end of every shift. It’s much preferable to take care of any ailments as soon as they arise than to wait for them to worsen or become a major issue.
5. Promote Physical Nursing Security
You’ve probably seen reports in the media of physical assaults on nurses if you’ve recently followed the news or glanced through social media. High-stress scenarios involving patients and families may prove extremely dangerous for nurses.
Situational awareness is crucial because it’s occasionally feasible to predict triggers or how someone would respond. Additionally, always leave yourself a path out; never allow anyone or anything to stand before you and the door. If something makes you uneasy, step aside and leave the room without turning around.
Final Words
The first step in developing an authority on nursing safety is to acquire the understanding and skills required to thrive in a range of clinical settings. The knowledge and tools needed to increase nurse safety in the workplace can be obtained by registered nurses who have an interest in enhancing workplace safety by pursuing further education.
Also, read this: Can Medical Transportation Improve Mental Health Access in Buffalo, NY?
