Safety Unit Lecture Notes

Vocabulary flashcards covering patient safety, human needs, developmental hazards, restraint protocols, and emergency fire/disaster procedures based on the nursing lecture.

Safe Environment

An environment that reduces physical hazards, reduces transmission of pathogens, and meets basic needs according to Maslow's hierarchy.

Mandated Reporters

Healthcare workers who are required to ask safety questions (e.g., "Do you feel safe at home") and report concerns.

Oxyhemoglobin

The substance formed when oxygen bonds with hemoglobin, which is necessary for tissue survival.

Carbon Monoxide ($CO_2$)

A gas that prevents oxygen from bonding with hemoglobin by bonding in its place.

Salmonella and Listeria

Pathogens that can contaminate food if it is not cooked enough or if proper food safety/refrigeration is not maintained.

Hypothermia

A condition resulting from prolonged cold where the body exhausts itself through shivering (muscle contraction to create heat).

The Joint Commission (JC)

The company that establishes the National Standard for patient safety and accredits health-care organizations and programs.

National Patient Safety Goals

A set of standards addressing specific safety problems, including identifying patients (Name, DOB, ID), improving staff communication, and preventing surgery mistakes.

Fall Assessment Rating Scales

A form completed on admission that gives a numerical rating for a patient's risk for falls.

Safety Reminder Devices

Another term for restraints, which must only be used as a last resort with a physician's order.

Restraint Monitoring Intervals

Patients must be checked every $30$ minutes and restraints must be removed every $2$ hours.

Chemical Restraints

Types of medications used to restrict a patient's movement or behavior.

Physical Restraints

Mechanical devices such as vests, wrist (4 pt), bed rails, or socks used to prevent patients from falling or pulling out tubes/IVs.

RACE

The acronym for fire response: Rescue, Alert, Confine, Extinguish.

PASS

The acronym for fire extinguisher use: Pull the pin, Aim at base, Squeeze trigger, Sweep.

Type A Extinguisher

Extinguisher used for fires involving paper, wood, fabric, and trash.

Type B Extinguisher

Extinguisher used for combustible liquids (oil, gasoline, petroleum) and flammable gases.

Type C Extinguisher

Extinguisher used for electrical fires such as short-circuits in wires, motors, or equipment.

Type D Extinguisher

Extinguisher used for powders, flakes, or shavings of combustible metals.

Type K Extinguisher

Extinguisher used for kitchen fires involving combustible cooking fluids like oils and fats.

Mass Casualty Event (MCE)

A disaster situation requiring staff to know specific facility codes and emergency responses.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

The document detailing the process for how to handle chemical hazard threats that enter a building.

Biological Hazards

Contaminants such as body fluids infected with HIV or hepatitis viruses, managed via CDC guidelines.

Assessment (Nursing Process)

The gathering of subjective or objective data, including home environments, fall assessments, and hospital equipment risks.