Workbook Study Notes for the Support Worker (5th Edition)

[PAGE 1: IDENTIFICATION]

Study Guide Information

Text: Workbook to Accompany Sorrentino’s Canadian Textbook for the Support Worker, Fifth Edition
Primary Author: Mary J. Wilk, RN, GNC(C), BA, BScN, MN (Fanshawe College)
Additional Author: Navdeep Sekhon, RN, BSc, BN, MEd (Red River College)
U.S. Original Author: Relda T. Kelly, RN, MSN
ISBN: 978-0-323-71163-0
Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier Inc.

[PAGE 2: CURRICULUM OVERVIEW]

Table of Contents and Core Topics

The workbook covers 48 intensive chapters spanning the technical, ethical, and clinical responsibilities of a Support Worker (PSW). Key sections include:

  • Foundations of Practice: Role and Responsibilities, Canadian Health Care System, Workplace Settings, Ethics, Legislation, and Culture/Diversity.
  • Essential Skills: Body Mechanics, Infection Prevention, Vital Signs, Medical Terminology, and Client Care Planning.
  • Clinical Procedures: Personal Hygiene, Skin Care/Wound Prevention, Nutrition and Fluids, Elimination (Urinary/Bowel), and Medication Management.
  • Specialized Populations: Growth and Development, Developmental Disorders, Mental Health, Delirium/Dementia, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, and Acute Care.
  • Life Transitions: Rehabilitation/Restorative Care and End-of-Life Care.

[PAGE 3: THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SUPPORT WORKER]

Professionalism and Scope of Practice

Professional Conduct and Attributes

  • Professionalism: An approach to work that demonstrates competence, dignity, and respect.
  • Discretion: Using responsible judgment when speaking about a client; keeping private information confidential and not sharing personal problems with clients.
  • Compassionate Care: The gold standard of support work, requiring kindness, sensitivity, and understanding.
  • Professional Appearance: Following dress codes, wearing clean/modest uniforms, keeping hair back, maintaining clean/unpolished nails (to prevent infection risks), and avoiding fragrances (which can cause breathing problems for clients).

Key Operational Concepts

  • Scope of Practice: The limit and extent of a health care worker’s role as determined by employer policy and educational training.
  • DIPPS Acronym: Stands for Dignity, Independence, Preferences, Privacy, and Safety.
  • Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): Fundamental tasks including bathing, toileting, feeding, personal hygiene, and transferring.
  • Instrumental ADLs: Complex tasks such as the management of medication and housekeeping.
  • Reflective Practice Review: An honest self-evaluation of all care provided to the client to improve future performance.

[PAGE 4: THE CANADIAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND LEGISLATION]

Health Care Delivery and Legal Rights

The Canadian Health Care System

  • Medicare Principles: Under the Canada Health Act, the system must follow: Public Administration, Comprehensiveness, Universality, Portability, and Accessibility.
  • Indigenous Health: Based on a holistic model. While often managed through federal-provincial partnerships, Recent years (1979-2000) saw a transfer of health services to Health Canada (First Nations and Inuit Health).
  • Trends: A significant shift from hospital-bound care toward home care to help clients maintain independence.

Legal Definitions and Torts

  • Torts: Wrongful acts committed against a person or property.
    • Negligence: Failing to act in a competent or reasonable manner, resulting in harm (unintentional).
    • Assault: Attempting or threatening to touch a body without consent.
    • Battery: The actual unauthorized touching of a person's body without consent.
    • False Imprisonment: Unnecessary use of restraints or restricting freedom of movement.
    • Invasion of Privacy: Exposing private affairs or discussing client treatment with unauthorized persons (e.g., in a lunchroom).
    • Defamation: Injuring a reputation via false statements. Libel is written; Slander is verbal.

Client Rights and Directives

  • Informed Consent: Must include the reason for treatment, risks, side effects, outcomes, and consequences of refusal. Support workers do not obtain signatures on consent forms; this is the responsibility of the designated health care provider.
  • Advance Directives: Legal documents (including Living Wills) stating a client's wishes for future health care and treatment when they can no longer speak for themselves.

[PAGE 5: HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND COMMUNICATION]

Holistic Dimensions and Interaction

Five Dimensions of Health

  1. Physical: A strong, fit body free of disease.
  2. Emotional: Feeling good about oneself; stable and satisfactory relationships.
  3. Social: Achieving stable relationships with others.
  4. Cognitive: An active, creative mind; informed through reading and community awareness.
  5. Spiritual: Belief in a purpose greater than the self; often (but not always) linked to religion.

Interpersonal Communication

  • Verbal vs. Nonverbal: 65% of communication is nonverbal (gestures, facial expressions, body language). Support workers must ensure their nonverbal cues do not offend (e.g., wrinkling nose at odors).
  • Techniques:
    • Paraphrasing: Restating the message in one's own words to ensure understanding.
    • Focusing: Guiding a rambling client back to a specific topic.
    • Closed Questions: Answered with "Yes" or "No" (used for specific info).
    • Open-Ended Questions: Invite the client to share thoughts and feelings.
  • Barriers: Interrupting, giving advice, minimizing problems, and using patronizing language (e.g., pet names like "dear").

[PAGE 6: SAFETY, ABUSE, AND DISABILITY]

Protection and Risk Management

The Cycle of Abuse

  1. Tension-Building: Stress builds; the abuser becomes moody.
  2. Abusive Phase: The actual incident occurs.
  3. Honeymoon Phase: The abuser is apologetic and tries to make amends.
  • Mandatory Reporting: Support workers are legally responsible for reporting suspected child abuse and, in many jurisdictions, facility-based abuse of older persons.

Workplace Safety (OH&S)

  • Both employers and employees are responsible for safety.
  • WHMIS: Provides information on hazardous substances through labels and MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets).
  • Restraints: Used only as a last resort under a physician’s order and with informed consent. They can cause emotional harm and strangulation/suffocation if too loose. A restrained client must be checked every 15 minutes.

[PAGE 7: CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS AND MEASUREMENT]

Vital Signs and Terminology

Vital Signs (Standard Ranges)

  • Temperature: Oral (36.0∘−37.5∘C36.0^{\circ} - 37.5^{\circ}C), Axillary (35.8∘−37.3∘C35.8^{\circ} - 37.3^{\circ}C), Rectal (36∘−38∘C36^{\circ} - 38^{\circ}C).
  • Pulse: Normal adult rate (60−10060-100 bpm). Tachycardia is >100 bpm; Bradycardia is <60 bpm.
  • Respirations: Healthy adult (12−2012-20 per minute).
  • Blood Pressure: Normal adult (120/80 mm Hg120/80\,mm\,Hg). Hypertension is persistent measurements above 140/90 mm Hg140/90\,mm\,Hg.

Medical Suffixes/Roots

  • -itis: Inflammation (e.g., Gastritis).
  • -ectomy: Surgical removal (e.g., Cholecystectomy - removal of gallbladder).
  • -ostomy: Creating an artificial opening (e.g., Colostomy).
  • -plegia: Paralysis (e.g., Hemiplegia - one side of the body).
  • -uria: Urine (e.g., Dysuria - painful urination).