Comprehensive Nursing and Healthcare Levels, Ethics, and Safety Protocols

Levels of Health Care

The organization of care into primary, secondary, tertiary, restorative, and continuing levels to address different patient needs and complexities.

Primary Health Care

Focuses on health promotion, disease prevention, and early detection; examples include immunizations, screenings, and health education.

Secondary Health Care

Involves diagnosis and treatment of illness or injury; examples include hospital care and emergency services.

Tertiary Health Care

Provides highly specialized and complex care, such as oncology centers or cardiac surgery.

Restorative Health Care

Focuses on rehabilitation and regaining independence through services like physical therapy and home health care.

Continuing Health Care

Long-term or chronic care provided through nursing homes, assisted living, or hospice care.

Primary Prevention

Prevents disease before it occurs through measures such as vaccines, exercise, and nutrition education.

Secondary Prevention

Detects and treats early disease through screenings, mammograms, and blood pressure checks.

Tertiary Prevention

Prevents complications and restores function in patients with established disease through rehabilitation and support groups.

Social Determinants of Health

The social, economic, and environmental factors that influence health outcomes, including education, housing, employment, and community safety.

Barriers to Health Care

Factors such as lack of insurance, transportation issues, language barriers, and provider shortages that limit access to health care.

Nurse as Advocate

Protects the patient's rights, ensures their preferences are respected, and speaks up for their safety and well-being.

Nurse as Case Manager

Coordinates patient care, ensuring continuity, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness across services and settings.

Nurse as Researcher

Uses and contributes to evidence-based practice by collecting and analyzing data to improve patient care.

Nurse as Educator

Provides patients and families with information for health promotion, disease prevention, and treatment understanding.

Nurse as Leader

Guides and motivates others, promotes high-quality care, and serves as a role model within the healthcare team.

Nurse as Change Agent

Identifies problems, implements solutions, and leads efforts to improve policies or patient outcomes.

Autonomy (Ethical Principle)

The patient's right to make their own health care decisions.

Beneficence (Ethical Principle)

The obligation to act for the benefit and well-being of others.

Nonmaleficence (Ethical Principle)

The duty to do no harm to patients.

Fidelity (Ethical Principle)

The responsibility to keep promises and maintain trust in the nurse-patient relationship.

Justice (Ethical Principle)

Providing fair and equal treatment to all patients.

Veracity (Ethical Principle)

The duty to tell the truth and not deceive patients.

Altruism (Professional Nursing Value)

Selfless concern for the welfare of others.

Human Dignity (Professional Nursing Value)

Respect for the inherent worth and uniqueness of every individual.

Integrity (Professional Nursing Value)

Acting honestly and adhering to moral and ethical principles.

Autonomy (Professional Nursing Value)

Respect for a person's right to make independent decisions.

Social Justice (Professional Nursing Value)

Fair treatment and equitable distribution of resources for all individuals.

Unintentional Torts

Legal actions involving negligence or malpractice that result in unintentional harm.

Intentional Torts

Deliberate acts such as assault, battery, false imprisonment, or defamation that violate patient rights.

Advance Directives

Legal documents that express a person's wishes for future medical care, including living wills, durable power of attorney, and do-not-resuscitate orders.

Good Samaritan Laws

Laws that protect healthcare providers from liability when providing emergency care in good faith outside of a healthcare facility.

Five Rights of Delegation

The right task, right circumstance, right person, right direction and communication, and right supervision and evaluation.

American Nurses Association Code of Ethics

A framework that guides nurses to practice with compassion, integrity, and respect while advocating for patient rights.

Occurrence or Incident Reporting

Documentation of unexpected events or errors to improve safety and prevent recurrence, written factually without assigning blame.

Fall Risk Assessment

Evaluation of a patient's likelihood to fall using factors such as gait, medications, cognition, and history of falls.

Fall Risk Interventions

Safety measures such as non-slip footwear, bed in a low position, call light within reach, and frequent rounding.

Nurse Responsibilities with Restraints

Use only as a last resort, require a physician's order, monitor and document every two hours, and reassess frequently.

Seizure Precautions Before an Event

Pad bed rails, ensure suction and oxygen are ready, and remove environmental hazards.

Nurse Actions During a Seizure

Turn patient on their side, protect the head, do not restrain, do not insert objects into the mouth, and time the seizure.

Nurse Actions After a Seizure

Maintain airway, assess for injury, reorient patient, and document the event in detail.

Age Considerations for Safety

Adapting safety measures for each age group, such as crib safety for infants, supervision for children, and fall prevention for older adults.

Fire Safety (RACE)

Rescue anyone in danger, activate the alarm, contain the fire, and extinguish it if safe.

Fire Extinguisher Use (PASS)

Pull the pin, aim at the base of the fire, squeeze the handle, and sweep side to side.

National Patient Safety Goals

Guidelines by The Joint Commission to improve patient safety, including correct identification, safe medication use, infection prevention, and communication improvement.

Oxygen Safety

Keep oxygen away from flames, avoid smoking, use grounded electrical equipment, and prevent static electricity.

Near Miss Event

An error that could have caused harm but did not reach the patient due to timely intervention or chance.

Client Safety Event (Adverse Event)

An incident that results in harm to a patient due to medical care rather than the underlying condition.

Sentinel Event

A serious, unexpected occurrence involving death or severe injury that requires immediate investigation and corrective action.