{"id":4897,"date":"2018-03-12T13:41:47","date_gmt":"2018-03-12T17:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/?p=4897"},"modified":"2018-04-16T12:46:33","modified_gmt":"2018-04-16T16:46:33","slug":"ways-to-promote-patient-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/ways-to-promote-patient-safety","title":{"rendered":"Ways to Promote Patient Safety: Patient Safety Awareness Week"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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Patient safety should be a top priority at all times, but let\u2019s face it \u2013 sometimes things get a little messy. In fact, many doctors feel that patient safety practices<\/a> are getting worse because of staffing shortages, according to an article published in The Guardian. During Patient Safety Awareness Week, take time to refresh your memory on all the most important patient safety tips. Consider how you can improve your own safety practices<\/a>. Also, think about how you can work with your team members to improve the patient safety\u00a0culture at your healthcare facility<\/a>. Check out these five ways to promote patient safety as a travel nurse!<\/p>\n

Five Ways to Promote Patient Safety as a Travel Nurse<\/h2>\n

\"Healthcare<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Streamline processes<\/h3>\n

As a travel nurse<\/a>, you\u2019re arriving to work in a hospital that most likely has new processes and ways of doing things. Make sure you clarify with your new team members exactly what the process is for everything from transporting patients to different units to discharging them. Check if the hospital is partnered with a patient safety organization, and learn any safety systems that are already in place. This will help you to ensure patient safety despite being the newbie.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pause for patient education<\/h3>\n

Hospital workers move fast. One of the ways to promote patient safety is to take the time to educate your patients. Make sure they know the dangers of misusing whatever prescription medication you\u2019re giving them. Instruct them on exactly what they\u2019re supposed to do when they leave the hospital. Educating patients on everything from proper prescription use and storage to dietary restrictions is one of the most effective ways to promote patient safety. Not only will it help them to feel more confident going home, but it will reduce the likelihood of them coming back.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Slow down<\/h3>\n

Although you often have to do things quickly as a nurse, it\u2019s important to be efficient. Slow down and make sure that you\u2019re doing all proper procedures when inserting catheters or chest tubes. These are two of the most common scenarios where patient safety<\/a> can improve, so brush up on your skill set and make sure\u00a0your work is done correctly. This can make a huge difference.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Keep clean<\/h3>\n
\"Someone

Keeping your facility clean is one of the most important ways to promote patient safety.<\/p><\/div>\n

It may seem self-explanatory that hospitals should be clean, but you\u2019d be surprised how many cleanliness procedures\u00a0are overlooked. From\u00a0nurses coughing into their hands to someone forgetting to disinfect something, germs spread. In a setting where people are already sick and vulnerable, this can be a deadly mistake. It\u2019s not only important to make sure that your hands are clean but to pay close attention to disinfecting your patients\u2019 skin and anything that will come in contact with them. Keep an eye on your coworkers too. We could all use a friendly reminder to do or not to do something that may have become a bad habit.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Practice self-care<\/h3>\n

One of the most important and impactful ways to promote patient safety is to practice self-care. Make sure that providers are not working too many hours or caring for too many patients at one time. Although you don\u2019t always have control over these situations, you do have control over your self-care in making sure that if you are overworked and understaffed, you\u2019re able to keep up. Finding a way to avoid burn out will improve patient safety. If you\u2019re taking care of you, you\u2019ll have an easier time taking care of your patients too. There are many strategies you can use to avoid burnout. Find the best option for you to prevent nursing burnout<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What are some of your favorite or most effective ways to promote patient safety? Help raise awareness of patient safety by sharing some tips in the comments below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Patient safety should be a top priority at all times, but let\u2019s face it \u2013 sometimes things get a little messy. In fact, many doctors feel that patient safety practices are getting worse because of staffing shortages, according to an article published in The Guardian. During Patient Safety Awareness Week, take time to refresh your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4904,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,74],"tags":[779,895,894],"class_list":["post-4897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nursing-issues","category-travel-nurse-tips","tag-dangers-to-patients","tag-patient-safety-awareness-week","tag-ways-to-promote-patient-safety"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4897"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5031,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4897\/revisions\/5031"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelnursesource.com\/notes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}