LEC 7.3: Safety & Security

1. Age Development

2. Lifestyle

3. Mobility & Health Status

4. Sensory Perceptual Alterations

5. Cognitive Awareness

6. Emotional State

7. Ability to Communicate

8. Safety Awareness

9. Environmental Factors

What are the 9 Factors affecting Safety?

Age & Development

One of the 9 factors affecting Security

Only through knowledge and experience do children learn what is potentially harmful

Lifestyle

One of the 9 factors affecting Security

Includes unsafe work environments/unsafe neighborhoods

Examples; Residents in high crime rate areas, access to firearms are at risk

Mobility & Health Status

One of the 9 factors affecting Security

Alteration in mobility related to paralysis, muscle weakness, diminished balance, and lack of coordination places the patient at risk of injury

Example: Paralysis, lack of coordination places client at risk for injuries

Sensory Perceptual Alterations

One of the 9 factors affecting Security

Alteration of accurate sensory perception of environmental stimuli may compromise safety

Example: Blind, deaf are susceptible to injury

Cognitive Awareness

One of the 9 factors affecting Security

Awareness is the ability to perceive environmental stimuli and body reactions and to respond appropriately through thought and action

Example: Sleep-deprived people have altered awareness

Emotional State

One of the 9 factors affecting Security

Extreme emotions can alter the ability to perceive environmental hazards

Ability to Communicate

One of the 9 factors affecting Security

Individuals with diminished communication, aphasia, language barriers, inability to read, etc may be more prone to injury

Safety Awareness

One of the 9 factors affecting Security

Clients in unfamiliar environments need this

Environmental Factors

One of the 9 factors affecting Security

A nurse may need to assess the client’ss environment and workplace

1. Newborns & Infants

2. Toddlers

3. Preschoolers

4. School-Age Children

5. Adolescents

6. Young Adults

7. Middle-Aged Adults

8. Older Adults

8 Lifespans that will be focused on

Newborn and Infants

One of the 8 focused lifespans

Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of death during the first year of life

Are completely dependent on others for care; oblivious to such dangers as falling or ingesting harmful substances

1. Burns

2. Suffocation or choking

3. Automobile crashes

4. Falls

5. Poisoning

What are common injuries for Newborns and Infants?

Toddlers

One of the 8 focused lifespans

Are curious and like to feel and taste everything

Fascinated by potential dangers like pools and busy streets so need constant supervision and protection

Must implement “___-Proofing” in household

1. Physical trauma from falling

2. Running into objects

3. Aspiration of small toys

4. Getting cut by sharp objects

5. Automobile crashes

6. Burns, poisoning

7. Drowning

8. Electrical shock

What are common injuries for Toddlers?

Preschoolers

One of the 8 focused lifespans

Active and often very clumsy

Control of the environment must continue

Safety education must begin early

1. Injury from traffic playground equipment and other objects

2. Choking, suffocation, and obstruction of airway or ear canal by foreign objects

3. Poisoning, drowning, fire, and burns

4. Harm from other people or animals

What are common injuries for Preschoolers?

School-Age Children

One of the 8 focused lifespans

• Learning to think before they act

• Often prefer adult equipment to toys

• Want to play with other children

• Responds well to rules

• Engages in fantasy and magical thinking

• Imitate actions of parents and superheroes whom they identify with

1. Motor Vehicular Crashes

2. Drownings

3. Fire

4. Firearms

What are common injuries for School-Age Children?

Adolescent

One of the 8 focused lifespans

At risk for sports injuries because coordination is not fully developed

1. Motor Vehicular Accidents

2. Poisoning

3. Drowning

4. Suicide

5. Homicide

What are common injuries for Adolescents?

Young Adults

One of the 8 focused lifespans

Motor vehicular fatalities have increased for this group

1. Motor Vehicular Accidents

2. Suicide

3. Homicide

What are common injuries for Young Adults?

Middle-Aged Adults

One of the 8 focused lifespans

Changing physiological factors: personal and work-related responsibilities

Motor Vehicular crashes are the most common cause of injury due to decreased reaction time and visual acuity

1. Motor Vehicular Accidents

2. Occupational injuries

3. Falls

4. Fires

5. Burns

6. Poisonings

7. Drownings

What are common injuries for Middle-Aged Adults?

Older Adults

One of the 8 focused lifespans

Unintentional injury prevention is a major concern

Limited vision, slower reflexes, brittle bones

1. Fires

2. Burns

3. Risk for wandering

What are common injuries for Older Adults?

1. Falls

2. Seizures

3. Scald and Burns

4. Fires

5. Suffocation or Choking

6. Excessive Noise

7. Firearms

8. Radiation

8 Specific Hazards

Falls

One of the 8 Specific Hazards

• Infants and older adults are prone to this

• Most of this occurs at home

• Fear of __ is common among older adults

1. Poor vision

2. Cognitive dysfunction

3. Impaired gait or balance

4. Difficulty getting in and out of a chair or bed

5. Orthostatic hypotension

6. Urinary frequency or receiving diuretics

7. Current medication regimen

What are the 7 risk factors for falls?

Client’s bed and bathroom

Where do falls in the health care setting typically occur?

1. Visit every hour from 6 AM to 10 PM

2. Every 2 hours from 10 PM to 6 AM

If a client is prone to fall, what should a nurse do?

False (Nurse first duty is to the client — Nurse must assess injuries first then notify primary care provider)

True or false: Nurse should notify the primary care provider then assess for injuries if a client has fallen.

Seizures

One of the 8 Specific Hazards

Single temporary event that consists of uncontrolled electrical neuronal discharge of the brain that interrupts normal brain function

Two types: partial/focal and generalized seizure

Partial/Focal Seizure

One of the seizure types

Electrical discharge from one area of the brain

Either Simple (occipital) or Complex (temporal and unaware)

Generalized Seizure

One of the seizure types

Affects the whole brain

Patient usually smells or hears something that others don’t.

What is a sign for the patient that they are about to have a seizure?

1. Grand mal (tonic-clonic) seizures

2. Any seizures that include loss of consciousness

What type of seizures that involve the entire body place the client at risk for injury?

Scalds & Burns

One of the 8 Specific Hazards

Consists of a from hot boiling liquid or vapor or from excessive exposure to thermal, electric, or radioactive agents

Scald

From a hot liquid or vapor, like steam

Burn

From excessive exposure to thermal, chemical, electric, or radioactive agents

1. Pot handles that protrude over edge of stove

2. Electric appliances used to heat liquids or oils

3. Excessively hot water bath

What are 3 common home hazards for burns?

Fire

One of the 8 Specific Hazards

RACE protocol and (T)PASS should be used

RACE:

Rescue

Alarm

Confine

Extinguish

What is the Protocol for Fire?

Rescue

One of the steps in the Fire Protocol

If area is safe to enter, protect and evacuate clients who are in immediate danger

Alarm

One of the steps in the Fire Protocol

Pull the fire __ and report the fire details and location to the hospital’s fire emergency extension

Confine

One of the steps in the Fire Protocol

Contain the fire by closing the doors to all the rooms and fire doors at each entrance to the unit

Extinguish

One of the steps in the Fire Protocol

___ the fire. Evacuate the area if the fire is too large for a fire extinguisher

Class A

One of the classes of fire

Fired caused by paper, wood, upholstery, rags, ordinary rubbish (turns into ashes)

Class B

One of the classes of fire

Fired caused by flammable liquids and gases

Class C

One of the classes of fire

Fire caused by electrical issue

(T)PASS

Twist

Pull

Aim

Squeeze

Sweep

Acronym for using fire extinguisher

Twist

One of the steps in using the fire extinguisher

__ the pin to break the safety seal

Pull

One of the steps in using the fire extinguisher

__ out the extinguisher’s safety pin

Aim

One of the steps in using the fire extinguisher

__ the hose at the base of the fire

Squeeze

One of the steps in using the fire extinguisher

__ or press the handle to discharge the material onto the fire

Sweep

One of the steps in using the fire extinguisher

__ the hose from side to side across the base of the fire until the fire appears to be out

Suffocation/Asphyxiation or Choking

One of the 8 Specific Hazards

Lack of oxygen due to interrupted breathing

1. Choking on food or foreign object in throat

2. Drowning

3. Gas or smoke inhalation

4. Unintentional coverage of the nose and mouth by plastic

5. Unintentional strangulation by should harness of seatbelt

6. Being trapped in a confined space

What are common reasons for Suffocation/Asphyxiation or Choking?

Grasping of anterior neck and being unable to speak or cough

What is the universal sign of distress for Suffocation/Asphyxiation or Choking?

Excessive Noise

One of the 8 Specific Hazards

Health hazard that can cause hearing loss

120 dB

Sound levels above ___ are painful and may cause hearing damage if an individual is exposed for only a short period.

85-95 dB

Sound levels at ___ for several hours can lead to progressive or permanent hearing loss.

Firearms

One of the 8 Specific Hazards

Parents who bring this into a home must accept full responsibility for teaching safety rules to any children who have knowledge of the presence of this

Radiation

One of the 8 Specific Hazards

Occurs from exposure to __ materials used in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures

1. Limiting time near source

2. Providing as much distance as possible from the source

3. Using shielding devices, like lead aprons when near the source

What are 3 ways radiation exposure can be minimized through?