Basic Safety & Emergencies

Base of Support

The foundation that supports an object. The feet are the body's base of support. The wider the support the more stable the person will be.

Body Mechanics

The proper way the parts of the body work together when a person moves to help save energy and prevent injury.

Burns

Injury to the skin caused by heat, steam, chemicals, electricity, or radiation.

Choking

A condition in which something is blocking the tube through which air enters the lungs.

Disorientation

Confusion about person, place, or time; may be permanent or temporary.

Flammable

Easily ignited and capable of burning quickly (example: O2, alcohol, nail polish remover, etc.).

Fracture

Broken bone

Incident Report

A factual and objective report of an accident, problem, or unexpected event during the course of care that is not part of the normal routine in a healthcare facility; also includes the response to the situation.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

The federal regulatory compliance agency that develops, publishes, and enforces guidelines/rules concerning safety and health standards or hazards in the workplace. Purpose is to protect workers from hazards on the job.

Oxygen

A gas needed to sustain life that enters the blood through the lungs and travels to the heart to be pumped via arteries to all body cells.

Paralysis

The loss of the ability to move all or part of the body; which often includes loss of feeling in the affected area; plegia.

Poisoning

Injury or death as a result of swallowing, inhaling, touching or injecting various drugs, chemicals, venoms or gases.

Restraint Alternatives

Measures used in place of a restraint or that reduce the need for a restraint.

Restraints

A physical or chemical way to restrict voluntary movement or behavior.

Safety

A basic need. Feeling unafraid, protected, and stable. To decrease the person's risk of accidents and injuries without limiting their mobility and independence.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

An OSHA-required document that explains the following about hazardous chemicals: chemical ingredients; chemical dangers; safe handling, storage, and disposal for the product; and information about emergency response actions.

Side Rails

Rails that can be attached to the side of a healthcare bed and raised to help with resident/patient safety and independent movement. Considered a restraint.

Abdominal Thrust

A method of attempting to remove an object from the airway of someone who is choking.

Advanced Directive

A legal document prepared in advance that allow people to decide what kind of medical care they wish to have in the event they are unable to make these decisions h to have in the event they are unable to make these decisions themselves. May also designate someone else to make medical decisions on behalf of another person if that person is unable to make their own medical decisions.

Anaphylaxis

A life threatening allergic reaction.

Aphasia

Inability to understand and/or produce speech.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

Emergency medical procedures used when a person's heart or lungs have stopped working.

Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA, stroke)

Occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is blocked or a blood vessel within the brain leaks or ruptures.Occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is blocked or a blood vessel within the brain leaks or ruptures. May be mild or severe. After, the person may experience weakness (hemiparesis) or paralysis (hemiplegia) on one side of the body, difficulty communicating, loss of bowel or bladder control, cognitive impairment, difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), etc.

Conscious

The state of being mentally alert and having awareness of surroundings, sensations, and thoughts.

Cyanosis/Cyanotic

Having blue or gray skin color.

DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)

Medical order which instructs the health care team not to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the person.

Dysphasia

Difficulty speaking

Emesis

The act of vomiting, or ejecting stomach contents through the mouth and/or nose.

Emesis Basin

A kidney shaped receptacle for collecting fluids (emesis).

Epilepsy

A brain disorder that results from a disruption in normal electrical impulses in the brain, which causes repeated seizures.

Epistaxis

Nosebleed

Fainting (Syncope)

Sudden loss of consciousness.

First Aid

Emergency care given immediately to an injured person by the first people to respond to an emergency.

Hemiplegia

Paralysis of one side of the body.

Hyperglycemia

High blood sugar; a complication of diabetes.

Hypoglycemia

Low blood sugar; a complication of diabetes that can result from either too much insulin or too little food.

Myocardial Infarction (MI, heart attack)

A life-threatening emergency condition that occurs when the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen because blood flow to the heart is blocked. Signs and symptoms include chest pain, pressure, or squeezing; pain or discomfort to arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach; indigestion or heartburn; nausea; vomiting; shortness of breath; dizziness; pale or cyanotic skin; perspiration; cold, clammy skin; weak, irregular pulse; low blood pressure; anxiety; etc.

Nausea

An unpleasant feeling of sickness in the stomach associated with a tendency to vomit.

Obstructed Airway

A condition in which something is blocking the tube through which air enters the lungs.

Orthostatic Hypotension

A sudden drop in blood pressure that occurs when a person stands or sits up.

Seizure

Involuntary, often violent contractions of muscles caused from abnormalities in the brain.

Shortness of Breath (SOB)

Difficulty breathing, breathlessness, air hunger.

Shock

A life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's organs and tissues do not receive adequate blood supply. Causes may be bleeding, heart attack, severe infection, low blood pressure, etc. Signs include pale/gray/bluish/discolored skin, staring, increased pulse, increased respirations, low blood pressure, and extreme thirst.

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)

A warning sign of a CVA/stroke resulting from a temporary lack of oxygen in the brain; symptoms are similar to a stroke and may last up to 24 hours.

Unconscious

NOT mentally alert and NOT aware of surroundings, sensations, and thoughts.

Vertigo

Feeling motion or spinning; dizziness.

Vomit

Emesis; to eject stomach contents through the mouth and/or nose; may refer to the contents ejected from stomach.

F.A.S.T.

F (face drooping), A (arm weakness), S (speech difficulty), T (time)

P.A.S.S.

P (pull pin), A (aim at the base of the fire), S (squeeze lever), S (sweep)

R.A.C.E

R (rescue/remove), A (activate alarm), C (confine/contain), E (extinguish/evacuate)