Case study 1.1 Healthcare providers are in the potential health hazard as well as the patients despite of their position. As the result, the transmission of the pathogen microorganisms such as influenza and tuberculosis can be acquiring. Diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis can also be transmitted from one person to another with the blood-borne pathogens involved. Some of those diseases can be prevented through vaccination process. It is a reason why is so important to have all required vaccinations done for all healthcare employees. Wearing gloves is a required procedure under any circumstance due to the fact that it is part of the personal protective equipment for the work safety. I would strongly recommend to read the OSHA's Personal …show more content…
OSH Act gives rights to workers and employers responsibilities that working conditions are safe and not to pose risk of serious harm to workers. In this case, employee followed the OSH Act standards and took all necessary steps to protect all employees from pathogens and insure working area from further hazards. In order to prevent blood-borne microorganisms transmission, the Blood-borne Pathogens Standard was created. There was a violation in sharps storage and standard operating procedures for collecting, handling, storing and disposing of specimens. I think that employee did correct actions, but the employer made a mistake. Incorrect and neglect behavior of the employer made the clinic pay their deserved fines. Employer should take complaints of the employee more serious and double check safety of employees and working area itself. My opinion is that the employer should not to fire this employee because of the fact of her alertness and awareness, as well proper reporting of the …show more content…
If foot pedal is available use it to operate the faucet without hand contamination. Select correct gloves size, because oversized gloves can simply slip off the hands and too small size may tear. Grasp the base of one glove holding its inner surface and pull it over the hand. Proceed same way wearing second glove with caution not to tear or stretch it. In order to remove the gloves, begin by grasping one glove near the wrist with the other gloved hand. Avoid touching the outside surfaces of gloves with ungloved hands. Pill the glove off inside out of the hand with the gloved hand. Hold the removed glove in the palm of the gloved hand. Remove the other glove by first sliding fingers between the glove and wrist. Using fingers inserted beneath the glove, roll glove down over the hand and wrap the other glove within it. Dispose the gloves and perform hand
While working at the OB-GYN department in the hospital, Dr. Vandall, as a Vice Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, learned that another employee of the hospital, Dr. Margaret Nordell was engaged in a level of treatment that was unethical and violated accepted standards of care. It was his duty to the hospital and to the patients, to monitor the competence of his staff members. Although he tried to take the proper steps to deal with it within the hospital, he ended up reporting this to the North Dakota Board of Medical Examiners. It was concluded by the Board that the treatment of Dr. Nordell was gross negligence and they suspended her license to practice medicine.
Bloodborne Pathogens are pathogenic microorganisms that can eventually cause disease. They are found in human blood and other bodily fluids such as synovial fluid, semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid and any other fluid that mixes or has contact with blood. The bloodborne pathogens are pathogenic, which means they are disease causing, and they are also microorganisms, which means that they are very small so the human eye cannot see them.
Health visitors may need to give information about hygiene to their patients to ensure they are safe and are preventing illness and diseases caused by bacteria and viruses which may harm vulnerable patients. For example patients with autoimmune disease will be very vulnerable to unhygienic and unsteralised places as their immune system attacks their normal cells as is can’t tell the difference bacteria and its own blood cells. Safety is a key part of the job, health visitors need to ensure how to keep safe in vulnerable places and how to keep patients safe, by learning what to so in dangerous situations such as an earthquake and knowing what are their responsibilities of the job. In addition, supporting parents and their kids’ on development and wellbeing and safety to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, supporting children with special needs and advising their parents on how to care for their wellbeing for parents to be able to support them appropriately with their needs for example ensuring they attempt to prevent injuries and accidents. Moreover, working with different social services and other organizations’ to safeguard and protect vulnerable children, adults and elderly patients to ensure they are safe and feel safe around their surroundings and environment. A
Pathogens are a type of microorganism that spreads viral and bacterial diseases. These diseases when present in human blood and body fluids are known as blood borne pathogens, and can spread from one person to another. (Worcester polytechnic institute) The most serious types of blood borne diseases are the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), which can cause liver damage; and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), which is responsible for causing AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). The blood borne pathogens can be spread when the blood or body fluids (semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, and amniotic fluid) of an infected individual comes into contact with mucous membranes or an open sore or cut on the skin of another person. Mucus membranes are located in the eyes, nose, mouth, and other areas as well. ("Bloodborne pathogens: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia") Two of the most common ways that pathogens are transmitted is through the exchange of fluids during sexual intercourse or by sharing infected IV needles. (Worcester polytechnic institute)
However for employees working in healthcare organization, conflicting situations may arise with confidentiality. Presenting a case study where HCA disclosing an employee’s confidential information, a nurse recently had to increase the work hours due to financial situation. The nurse was a bit apprehensive with the increase due to it would be stressful on top of the other responsibilities. Due to the stress, the nurse ended up using form of narcotics to help deal with stress level and anxiety, which seemed to have helped with providing care for patients. As time continued on, the nurse began to care for patients and signed out medication for them even though the patient was not prescribed the medication. The nurse was later discovered when working on the surgical unit as the pharmacist notice unfamiliar rise in medications along with signature errors. The incident was reported to the HCA for further reviewing. After analyzing the situation, actions taken were to have a leave of absences as well present this to a board of personnel. This then causes some form of breach of confidentiality for the nurse with HCA. Nevertheless, HCA was fearful of the patient’s safety and needed to address an issue that maybe more common that they think. As HCA, they are in charged with a fiduciary duty to protect the mission and values of the organization (Badzek, Mitchell, Marra,
The purpose of his article was to find a better way to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HCAI) and explain what could be done to make healthcare facilities safer. The main problem that Cole presented was a combination of crowded hospitals that are understaffed with bed management problems and inadequate isolation facilities, which should not be happening in this day and age (Cole, 2011). He explained the “safety culture properties” (Cole, 2011) that are associated with preventing infection in healthcare; these include justness, leadership, teamwork, evidence based practice, communication, patient centeredness, and learning. If a healthcare facility is not honest about their work and does not work together, the patient is much more likely to get injured or sick while in the
Thesis statement:It should be mandatory for hcw to receive vaccination, because it will increase patient safety by prevent spread of the infection and it is also cost effective.
Diseases such as influenza, pertussis, and shingles are known to spread very easily. This means that if someone is not vaccinated properly they could catch these diseases. Also they could pass to loved ones. This could apply to also reducing the chance of pass a serious disease to a loved one.
Section 8 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2005) puts requires safe systems of work to be developed by the employer. Section 19 of the Act requires the employer to conduct a risk assessment of work activities, including infectious diseases and Schedule 3 of the Act provides the general principles of prevention to ensure the safety of employees in the workplace. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Biological Agents) Regulations require that where vaccines are available, employers must offer vaccination, free of charge, to employees who are at risk of occupational exposure to biological agents such as TB.
According to the report provided by the consultant, the employees at this facility were not taking precautions in safeguarding the patient’s health information. Therefore, the employees at this facility were in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). It is important for employees to understand the form of technology being used and the precautions they must take to safeguard patient information.
Due to their direct contact with patients, personnel of health care teams are exposed to a higher risk of contracting diseases. Specifically, this risk becomes more potential for dental professional teams if we know that most of the human microbial pathogens are isolated from oral secretions. They can cause serious diseases that might transmit from patients to the personnel, and vice versa (Bednarsh & Molinri, 2010). In 1970 and the early 1980s, result showed the tendency among dental professionals to have more certain infectious diseases than the general public due to their exposure to blood and saliva of their patients (Bednarsh & Molinri, 2010). Disease, such as hepatiti...
When professionals in the health sector are compliant to the standards and ethics of practice, then accidents in the sector and any activities that undermine patient safety are bound to be addressed. In particular, whistleblowers in the sector should also be protected to improve service delivery in the health sector.
It is right of a patient to be safe at health care organization. Patient comes to the hospital for the treatment not to get another disease. Patient safety is the most important issue for health care organizations. Patient safety events cost of thousands of deaths and millions of dollars an-nually. Even though the awareness of patient safety is spreading worldwide but still we have to accomplish many things to achieve safe environment for patients in the hospitals. Proper admin-istrative changes are required to keep health care organization safe. We need organizational changes, effective leadership, strong health care policies and effective health care laws to make patients safer.
(2014) shed light on two key components for infection control, which includes protecting patients from acquiring infections and protecting health care workers from becoming infected (Curchoe et al., 2014). The techniques that are used to protect patients also provide protection for nurses and other health care workers alike. In order to prevent the spread of infections, it is important for health care workers to be meticulous and attentive when providing care to already vulnerable patients (Curchoe et al., 2014). If a health care worker is aware they may contaminate the surroundings of a patient, they must properly clean, disinfect, and sterilize any contaminated objects in order to reduce or eliminate microorganisms (Curchoe et al., 2014). It is also ideal to change gloves after contact with contaminated secretions and before leaving a patient’s room (Curchoe, 2014). Research suggests that due to standard precaution, gloves must be worn as a single-use item for each invasive procedure, contact with sterile sites, and non-intact skin or mucous membranes (Curchoe et al., 2014). Hence, it is critical that health care workers change gloves during any activity that has been assessed as carrying a risk of exposure to body substances, secretions, excretions, and blood (Curchoe et al.,
Infection control is very important in the health care profession. Health care professionals, who do not practice proper infection control, allow themselves to become susceptible to a number of infections. Among the most dreaded of these infections are: hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Another infection which has more recently increased in prevalence is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These infections are all treated differently. Each infection has its own symptoms, classifications, and incubation periods. These infections are transmitted in very similar fashions, but they do not all target the same population.