Patient Safety and Infection Control Lecture Notes

This set covers vocabulary related to patient safety culture, event reporting, infection control links and stages, various nursing precautions, fall and seizure management, restraint protocols, fire safety, and disaster triage.

Culture of safety

A clinical environment that promotes openness and error reporting, often resulting in a lower number of adverse events.

Standards of Compliance

A cataloged register of over $250$ adopted safety practices that health care institutions must meet on a consistent basis.

Near Miss

A potential error, event, or circumstance that could have caused harm but was caught and avoided.

Sentinel Event

A critical, unexpected adverse event that caused severe physical or psychological harm to a patient, including death, dismemberment, or permanent injury, requiring a major investigation.

Failure to Rescue

A situation where a complication leads to death, characterized by missed indicators from health care personnel that a complication was occurring.

Just Culture

A system that balances accountability and environment, ensuring staff feel safe to report errors without fear of repercussion.

Root-Cause Analysis (RCA)

A review process used to probe potential or actual errors to determine if human error or systems failure was the cause and to establish a corrective action plan.

Infection prevention and control (IPC)

An evidence-based approach to preventing the spread of infections using standard precautions like hand hygiene, PPE, and environmental cleaning.

Reservoir

The natural habitat where an infectious agent lives, grows, and multiplies, such as humans, animals, or the environment.

Incubation Period

The stage of infection from pathogen exposure to the onset of first symptoms, where the pathogen multiplies but the host is asymptomatic.

Prodromal Period

The stage of infection marked by the onset of general, non-specific symptoms like fatigue or low-grade fever as the immune system begins responding.

Standard Precautions

Protective measures applied to all body fluids, non-intact skin, and mucous membranes, including hand hygiene and the use of gloves, masks, and eye protection when splashing is possible.

Post-exposure prophylaxis

Preventive treatment or procedures, such as blood work or medications, administered following exposure to a pathogen like a needlestick.

Contact Precautions

Measures required for patients with known or suspected infections posing high transmission risk, involving private room placement and the use of gowns and gloves for all interactions.

Droplet Precautions

Measures used to protect against droplets larger than $5\text{ mcg}$ that travel $3$ to $6\text{ ft}$, requiring a private room and masks for providers and visitors.

Airborne Precautions

Measures used to protect against droplet infections smaller than $5\text{ mcg}$, requiring a private room with negative pressure airflow and N95, PAPR, or HEPA respirators.

Orthostatic hypotension

A form of low blood pressure that occurs when standing up suddenly, which can lead to falls.

Morse Fall Scale (MFS)

A validated tool evaluating six variables (history of falls, secondary diagnosis, ambulatory aids, IV therapy, gait, and mental status) to calculate a score from $0$ to $125$ to classify fall risk.

Physical Restraints

Devices physically placed on a patient's body to limit movement, including hand mitts, limb restraints, belts, and vests.

Seclusion

The placement of a client in a private, safe room, used for clients who are at risk for injuring themselves or others.

False Imprisonment

The legal charge a nurse may face for the improper use of restraints.

RACE

A fire safety sequence standing for Rescue, Activate the alarm, Contain the fire, and Extinguish or Evacuate.

PASS

A sequence for operating a fire extinguisher: Pull the pin, Aim at the base of fire, Squeeze the lever, and Sweep side-to-side.

Class C Fire Extinguisher

A type of fire extinguisher specifically used for electrical fires.

Ergonomics

The science of fitting workplace conditions, tools, and tasks to the worker to maximize productivity while reducing fatigue and musculoskeletal disorders.

Emergent or Immediate Triage

The highest priority level in a mass casualty event, given to clients with life-threatening injuries who have a high possibility of survival once stabilized.

Expectant Triage

The lowest priority category in a mass casualty event for clients not expected to live, where comfort measures are provided but restorative care is not.

Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

Standardized documents required by OSHA that disclose information about toxic and hazardous substances and provide instructions for exposure.