Work-Related Hazards and Nurse Safety
Category: Filipino Nurses, Nurses’ Careers, Posted on April 20th, 2010 by adminNo Comments
As humans, nurses are also entitled to satisfy their basic needs; safety is one of them. Dealing with various diseases almost everyday, their working field is in itself a threat to their very own safety.
When we say safety, usually the first thing that comes into our minds is being safe from fatal accidents such as a car accident, gun shot, drowning, etc. On a nurse’s side, little did others know that a simple needlestick from a needle used to a HIV or Hep B or C positive patient is as fatal as the ones mentioned. While the former may instantly kill, the later would linger and would slowly lead to your demise.
As to the context of accidents and safety, an accident doesn’t always have to be so much bloody and serious; a pain brought by a mere fall could be called one. Let’s take for example a nurse working in the psychiatric unit; mentally challenged patients roam around the unit and their unpredictability is a threat. Sometimes nurses become ambivalent on restraints and morality issues because they don’t really know when these patients’ hostility would fire up. So when an unrestrained patient becomes uncontrollably hostile, accidents may follow involving both the patient and the attending nurse.
As a nurse, I believe a well digested education is the fulcrum to keep us fluent amidst work-related hazards; moreover, it will serve as a shield to protect us from the same. When we pledged to become nurses we also submitted ourselves to the consequences imposed by the profession…… But do we always have to cling and depend on these decrepit facts? Although, those may be facts but don’t you think we need more concrete and sturdy ones?