Running Head:– CASE ASSIGNMENT
Traumatic Injuries
Fall 2011
Question 1:
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and Safety has recommended using epidemiologic techniques to reduce the incidence and severity of traumatic injuries. How can epidemiologic techniques mitigate against traumatic injuries?
|The term “Epidemiologic” is an adverb of the word “Epidemiology”. The etymology of the word “epidemiology” indicates that it is derived from |
|no less than three (3) Greek root words. Specifically, “Epi” meaning on, or upon; “Demos” meaning people; and, “Logy” meaning study. |
|Therefore, “Epidemiology is, thus the study of what is upon the people. In modern terms, it is the science of the
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|Sharps injuries risk factors for healthcare professionals occur in everyday patient care scenarios. In particular, nurses are at high risk |
|for sharp injury exposure to blood borne pathogens resulting in infections such as HIV, or hepatitis B or C. Although, such injuries are |
|highly preventable, they are often viewed as an acceptable occupational hazard. As for the instruments must likely to cause sharps injuries |
|“The United States National Surveillance System for Health Care workers (NaSH) identified six devices that are responsible for the majority of|
|needle stick and other sharps related injuries. These are hypodermic needles (32%), suture needles (19%), winged steel needles (butterfly) |
|(12%), scalpel blades (7%), IV catheter stylets (6%), and phlebotomy needles (3%) (CDC, 2004).” (Wilburn, S. Q (2004). Needlestick and Sharps |
|Injury Prevention. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 9(3)4. Retrieved from |
|http://nursingworld.org/mainmenucategories/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/Tableof Contents/Volume92004/No3Sept04/InjuryPrevention.aspx). |
|Moreover, “Characteristics of devices that increase the risk of injury
Epidemiology defined: The basic science of public health in which the causing factor, population, frequency, and relevant intervention is found in the case of an outbreak.
truncheon, iron bar. It's anything that will cause injury to death. If a person has died at an accident
At a clinical site, the risk of sharps injuries depends on the procedure that a healthcare provider is carrying out. Invasive procedures are considered as high risk
Reporting of Injuries,Diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations of 1995 requires the reporting of work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences. The Act applies to all work related activities, but not to all work related incidents. The objective of the regulations is to enable the enforcing authorities to identify where and how risks arise and to investigate serious accidents so as to prevent them from occurring in the future and thus providing a safer work environment. The enforcing authorities can then help and advise you on preventive action to reduce injury, ill health and accidental loss,the main points of our own policy that relate to this are:
According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), any worker who handles sharp devices or equipment is at risk, especially those who handle hypodermic needles/syringes, suture needles, butterfly-type needles, blood-collection needles, scalpels and IV stylets. OSHA also estimates that over 5.6 million workers in the healthcare industry and related occupations are at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens, with nursing staff suffering the most sharps-related injuries and subsequent infections.
Needle stick and sharps injuries are the dangerous hazards for any medical personnel. Sharp objects can contain pathogens like hepatitis virus, HIV, which pose death risk. The additional explosion to the blood-borne pathogen includes sudden bleeding or wound care. Immunization is a required procedure, but it only can protect from hepatitis B illnesses. The company requires having a vaccination against hep B. Some research stated that most healthcare workers don’t follow standards and protocols and don’t report the injuries. All our workers need to report any injuries, which related to blood-borne pathogens. The organization establish practice control and reduce worker’s exposure by providing personal protective clothing and equipment, and specialized
Physicians needed a way to get to the veins of their patients quickly, so several tools were fabricated over the centuries, ensuring a swift puncture; even some punctures with a measurable degree of incision. These tools consisted of lancets and scarifications, which opened the vein; then there were cupping cups and leeches, which allowed a more localized draw from the capillaries. Davis and Apel state, "in the eighteenth century, delicate mechanical spring lancets and scarifications were invented to replace the simpler thumg lancets and fleams." Lancets are surgical knives that bore the greatest amount of liquid; creating an opening approximately one-fifth of an inch. Spring-loaded lancets were the easiest to use because they made consistent cuts whose cuts varied depending on the skill of the physician. Scarificators were brass boxes with a lever on top that released a set of blades which snapped out of slits on the base; offering a consistent depth and length of an incision. Cupping cups were heated while placed on the patients skin. As the cup cooled on the skin, a vacuum type of energy
This assignment will focus on one of the extremely important topics of the many hazards in the healthcare work place that may pose as a threat to my health and safety in the Care Industry.
Decreasing the number of sharps injures has become a vital workplace safety issue, while Australia has not yet legislated for the prevention of sharps injuries, internationally Europe and America have seen the introduction of such legislation (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2010; "Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000," 2000). There are professional body guidelines and industry standards aimed at protecting healthcare
Hence, their incidence is to be assumed to be higher than the current estimates. Most injuries occur during disposal of used needles (23.7%), during administration of parental injection or infusion therapy (21.2%), during recapping (12.1%) or handling linens or trash containing uncapped needles (16.1%)[4].
Epidemiology, the branch of medicine that deals with the incidence, distribution, and possible control of a disease. Epidemiology is used through out the world, whether that be to protect a country from a lethal disease or educating the people about the common cold, epidemiologist protect the world from disease as a whole. This is highlighted in the most recent outbreak of the Zika Virus in Brazil and the Ebola Sudan outbreak illustrated in the Hot Zone. Even though these disease have there similarities and differences epidemiologists have done that is possible to protect the populous of the world. Though both disease have common ground, both are extremely different from one another based on the symptoms and over effect on the human body.
* Epidemiology is the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations, and serves as the foundation and logic of interventions made in the interest of public health and preventive medicine.
Needlestick injury is the piercing of skin by a needle which was in contact with blood, tissue, or other body fluid before the exposure. It’s very important that appropriate precautions are taken to prevent needlestick injuries to avoid any untreatable blood-borne diseases. The three common blood-borne diseases that have infected healthcare workers after a needlestick injuries are Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. During the inspection, nurses who were assigned to draw blood were seen handling the needlestick carelessly, leaving our organization concern about the safety of the patients. This organization’s goal is to provide equipment and support to developing and slightly developed countries with
In a workplace such as catering environment, majority of the injuries are caused as a
The word epidemiology comes from Greek, literally translating to “the study of what is upon the people”. However nowadays epidemiology is not limited to diseases among human populations, epidemiology can now be the study of disease in any defined population.