Working Safely in Health Care: A Practical Guide / Edition 1

by Deborah Fell-Carlson

Overview

Finally, a comprehensive resource on workplace safety designed with the health care worker in mind! This book will show you how to protect yourself and others from injury while on the job. You will be introduced to stresses and hazards unique to the health care environment, and provided with practical steps you can take to make work safer for you. If you know how to make work safer for yourself, you will be better equipped to provide a safe care environment for your clients.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781418006235
Publisher:	Cengage Learning
Publication date:	07/13/2007
Series:	Safety and Regulatory for Health Science
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Deborah Fell-Carlson has had an active and visible leadership role in strategic efforts to transfer evidence-based injury prevention knowledge to the Oregon healthcare community. She has served in a variety of safety and health leadership roles in healthcare and general industry over the past 30 years, as well as in a variety of nursing and nursing education roles. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from South Dakota State University and her Master of Science in Public Health through Oregon State University. Ms. Fell-Carlson is a past Board Member of the Oregon State Association of Occupational Health Nurses chapter of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, a current member of the Oregon State Association of Occupational Health Nurses, the American Society of Safety Engineers, and the Association for Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare. She is co-chair of the Oregon Coalition for Healthcare Ergonomics, a multidisciplinary task force charged to develop strategies to reduce musculoskeletal injuries in healthcare in Oregon. She served in the Army National Guard in South Dakota and Oregon for a total of 27 years and retired as an Army Nurse Corps Lieutenant Colonel in 2003. She has presented on a variety of employee safety and health issues at conferences at the state and national level.

Table of Contents

Section I: Laying the Foundation Chapter 1: Caring for the Caregiver - A Fresh Approach to Health Care Safety Chapter 2: Understanding Hazards and Controls in Health Care Section II: Hazards and Controls in Health Care Part 1: Preventing Musculoskeletal Injuries in Health Care Chapter 3: Performing Clinical Support Tasks Safely Chapter 4: Safe Client Movement and Handling Chapter 5: Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls in the Healthcare Environment Part 2: Chemical Safety and Airborne Exposures Chapter 6: Working Safely with Drugs and Other Substances Chapter 7: Indoor Air Quality in Health Care - Good Air for Good Health

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: John T. Pierce, MBBS (MD) PhD(Navy Environmental Health Center)
Description: This manual can help healthcare workers protect themselves from injury. It introduces readers to stresses and hazards unique to the healthcare environment and provides practical steps to make the work safer. Five interesting case studies at the end of the book could be used for small group sessions (preventable lower back injuries, needle sticks, and occupational dermatitis).
Purpose: This book is different from many others in that it is intended to assist caregivers rather than those employed in the safety profession. While it is potentially helpful to caregivers, I don't see any reason why safety and health professionals can't use it as well.
Audience: It would be a good idea to provide this book to healthcare trainees before regrettable incidents occur. I can see it in the hands of nurses and medical technologists, among many others. It should also find a home in staff libraries as well as in safety offices.
Features: The five sections lay the foundation (section I), detail hazards and controls (section II), cover wellness challenges (section III), discuss improving working conditions (section IV), and present case studies (section V). Its treatment of wellness areas balances the more classical occupational safety and health issues.
Assessment: There is a lot out there in the general field of healthcare safety but this contribution will stand on its own merits. Because the book is simply written, one can envision its last chapter being generated by its readers who apply its principles in the setting of focus groups or other discussion settings.

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