Bang! An explosion two decades ago inside the major room of the operating room greeted me as I returned with a bottle of normal saline solution which I got from the adjacent room. I turned around and run to the hallway which was full of people. I knew I was hurt (a glass splinter hit me twice: on my back and my right arm) when a doctor-friend of mine shouted, “You are bleeding at the back, Nitz!” She took me to the nearest room and suggested we go to ER to have my wound sutured. I asked her to call my husband. My wounds were sutured in another hospital. Then I remembered my students (three were assisting in surgery, one was reorienting at the OR, two others were observing). “Your students are alright except for one who was hit by a glass splinter in the arm.” The injured student was taken to the ER for treatment. The surgeon was also hit by a glass splinter in his right eye. Those of us inside that OR have a colleague to thank for: the anesthesiologist because she closed the oxygen tank shortly after the explosion. Later on, we learned that an old ether machine which was used during surgery for anesthesia exploded in the middle of a surgery. Ether was the anesthetic of choice due to the patient’s condition. The big glass window was shattered and the high-risk patient eventually died.
The wellness focus for January is Preventive Wellness Care. Preventive care is one of the steps which a person can take towards achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle as it focuses on preventing illnesses, injuries, or medical conditions before they happen.
Nursing is one of the dangerous professions in America as well as in other parts of the world. Here are some tips to stay safe in the workplace (Jennifer Fink, 2013):
– Use mechanical devices or ask for help when lifting patients.
– Advocate safety measures. It may cost money, but let the administration see its importance.
– Safeguard against needlesticks. More than 20 pathogens have been reportedly transmitted through needlesticks. The most serious are Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV. Adhere to proper procedure and protect yourself.
– Make it a habit to check your patients often, particularly those who are at risk for falls.
– Keep clean thoughts. Do frequent handwashing, use gloves as needed to protect yourself.
How should nurses stay safe at home? 1) Have a meal before your shift begins to give you energy to get through the work. 2) Pack some nutritious snacks to work. 3) When you’re off duty, stay off duty. 4) Make sure to get eight hours of sleep regardless of the shift you are working. 5) Have your annual physical exam, and attend to your health issues promptly.
“Take a walk for safety“ is advocated by Kaiser Permanente due to this belief: every Kaiser Permanente worker, manager, and physician–and every patient—has the right to a safe and healthy place to give and get care. A safety walk around may give you a chance to identify potential hazards and build a culture of health and safety.
Julie Copeland (in Arbill Safety Blog) asserts that “The foundation of any successful workplace safety effort is one that encourages employees to identify unsafe behaviors and opportunities for improvement while also making well-informed safety decisions during daily routine tasks.”
So make 2018 your safest year ever.
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Author’s email: [email protected]
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