Workplace safety: Following workplace policies and procedures

As a nursing assistant, you will follow workplace policies and procedures to guide you as you provide care to your clients.

Alright, before any procedure, you need to be prepared. Let’s say that a procedure such as dressing a wound needs to be performed.

The first pre-procedure step is washing your hands properly and putting on gloves, especially if there is a possibility of contact with body fluids, such as blood.

This helps prevent the transmission of infections between you and the clients. The next step is gathering all the materials that you are going to need, which will help save time and promote efficiency.

After you’ve gathered everything you need and are ready for the procedure, knock on the client’s door, greet the client, and introduce yourself as you enter.Then, follow your facility's policy to confirm the client’s identity to make sure the procedure is performed on the right client.

Use at least 2 identifiers. For example, check their wrist band and ask the client to state their name and date of birth.

Never use the client’s room number or bed number to identify a client. Next, explain the procedure by telling the client what to expect and encourage their cooperation.

If visitors are present, ask them to leave the room and show them a place for them to wait until the procedure is complete.

Then, close the curtain and doors. Depending on the procedure, make sure you take all necessary safety precautions regarding body mechanics, infection control, and equipment use.

For example, if you’re going to perform a procedure with the client in bed, raise the bed to a comfortable height to work with as a part of good body mechanics.

If the procedure requires the client to be out of the bed, lower the bed to its lowest position to minimize the potential damage from falling as you assist the client to step to the floor.

Before performing the procedure, expose the area of the body where the procedure is going to be carried out and drape the rest of the body, making sure that you protect the client’s privacy.

After a procedure is complete, make sure you follow infection control standards and appropriately discard the materials you’ve used.

Next, confirm if the client is in a comfortable position and that their body is properly aligned. This helps to prevent strain on the client’s joints and muscles and minimizes the risk of pressure ulcers and contractures.

Next, return the bed to the lowest position, raise the side rails if they are present, and lock the wheels to prevent the client from falling after you leave the room.

Then, bring the phone, light control, fresh water, call light, and the TV remote control close to the client for easy access.

This helps the client to be more independent and prevents possible falls if the client tries to reach for them. Remove and discard the gloves and wash your hands.

Before you leave the room, open the curtains and the door if the client wishes so and allow visitors to return to the room.

Finally, document and report what you've done as required by your facility's policy. Be sure to let the nurse know you have completed the assigned task and report any unusual findings.

This allows the nurse and other staff members to have access to the same information about the client and their current status.As a nursing assistant, you will follow basic safety measures, which will help maintain a safe care setting where the risk of accidents, injury, and illness is reduced.

If you happen to notice something unsafe, be sure to correct it right away. For example, if you see a spill on the floor, wipe it up right away before someone slips and falls.

If a client is sliding out of a wheelchair, assist the client into a safe position. If you see something unsafe but cannot correct the problem yourself, like a loose handrail or grab bar or an electrical outlet that doesn't work, follow your facility policy for reporting the problem.

Always be aware of factors that can increase the risk of accidents, such as mobility problems and sensory impairment. Occasionally, an incident can occur, which can harm a client, staff member, or visitor.

An incident can be due to an accident, like when a client slips and falls; it could be due to an error, like when the wrong care is given to a client; or it can be due to other reasons, like when an aggressive client hits a staff member.

When an incident occurs, it must be documented and reported. Always notify the nurse immediately.

Follow your facility policy for recording the event on a document called an incident report. When completing an incident report, it's important to be straightforward and honest and to focus on facts.All right, as a quick recap… Policies and procedures are established to promote safety and respect of client rights and to help you to be efficient and confident in the work you do each day.

Before any procedure, wash your hands properly and apply gloves if necessary, gather all the materials you need, and knock and introduce yourself to the client as you enter the room.

Before you start the procedure, check the client’s identity, explain the procedure, and protect the client’s privacy by asking any visitors to leave the room and closing the curtains and the door.

After the procedure, discard used materials properly, check if the client is comfortable, return the bed to the lowest position, raise the side rails, and lock the wheels.

Before you leave the room, bring the phone, light control, fresh water, the call light, and the TV remote control close to the client.

It’s also very important to take safety precautions during your work. If you happen to notice something unsafe, such as a spill on the floor, wipe it up right away before someone slips and falls.

If you notice an incident, inform the nurse immediately and complete an incident report if required by your facility’s policy.