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Writer's pictureDr Charles Glassman

Patient Safety Tips for Health-Care Workers

Updated: Jan 15




Caring for patients takes a lot of work. Keeping their well-being and safety in mind while performing manual labor and tasks can be difficult, but with the right mindset, you can ensure they’re comfortable and improve their quality of life.


Health-care institutions should be able to minimize risks while maximizing outcomes. With these patient safety tips for health-care workers, you can provide care without putting your patients in harm’s way.


Wear PPE

Health-care workers must often care for more than one patient at a time. If they don’t take the proper precautions, they could spread disease and sickness, making it harder to provide adequate care. Having the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) reduces the likelihood of contamination, ensuring that patients stay safe and healthy while receiving care.


Specialized equipment designed to protect the wearer from infection plays a significant role in patient safety. Health-care workers should wear masks, respirators, gowns, gloves, and eye protection when dealing with transmissible diseases.


Use a Wheelchair

Wheelchairs can make a big difference for patients who need to get around. Even patients that don’t have mobility issues may need to use a wheelchair when recovering from illness or a big operation. Understanding best practices when pushing or moving individuals in wheelchairs is essential for their safety.


Hospitals should keep their wheelchairs maintained to prevent accidents. Tightening bolts, checking tire pressure, and adjusting moving parts will prevent malfunctions that could put the user at risk. Caregivers should have a firm grasp of these manual wheelchair safety tips so that they don’t put patients in harm’s way.


Provide Counseling

Patient safety shouldn’t be reactive. Hospitals must educate patients about their health and well-being so that they don’t have to make repeat visits. Reducing admissions to the hospital should be a priority.

Walking patients through their lifestyle choices and how these choices impact their overall physical health and immune system will ensure that they make the right choices in their daily lives. Patients should understand that their safety is an ongoing process that they must take seriously, whether or not they’re currently receiving care.


Empathy Is Key to Good Health-Care Management

No matter what kind of issues their patients are dealing with, health-care workers need to be able to consider their needs and adjust their practices accordingly. Patient safety requires an in-depth understanding of individuals and their current state of health.


You can apply these patient safety tips for health-care workers in many situations, allowing you to do your job without putting individuals at risk.

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