CARE FOR PATIENTS | PROTECT YOURSELF | PREPARE YOUR HOSPITAL/COMMUNITY
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How To Protect Yourself
While nurses have a primary commitment to the patient, we also have a responsibility to preserve our own safety so we can care for others. The following web links provides valuable information to help promote nurses' safe response to emergencies and disasters, especially those associated with biological or chemical terrorism.
Learn about your rights to a safe work environment while responding to emergencies!
Information from ANA
It is also important that you work with your employer as part of your preparation to participate in this type of response effort. ANA's Commission on Workplace Advocacy (CWPA) developed two position statements to help guide you in your discussions with your employer. The first position statement, Registered Nurses Rights and Responsibilities Related to Work Release During a Disaster, which is posted in PDF format, speaks to the rights and responsibilities of registered nurses who desire release from their workplaces for the purpose of participating in a disaster relief effort. The second position statement, Policy for Work Release During a Disaster PDF, is a policy for use by employers to govern the release of registered nurses from their workplaces for the purpose of participating in a disaster relief effort. Preparedness Measures for Nurses and Pregnant Women
The latest resource to be linked from the Bioterroism/Disastor Response site is a package of preparedness measures for nurses and pregnant women developed by the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
The new measures address emergency planning and response recommendations for health care facilities; disaster planning for pregnant women; facts about the risks and benefits of various antibiotic regimens in pregnancy; the impact of antibiotic treatment on breastfeeding; and symptoms of anthrax and infection and screening tips.
Hospital and Community Emergency Response – What You Need to Know OSHA 3152 1997 - From the
U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Protecting health care workers who respond to emergencies involving hazardous substances is critical. Health care workers dealing with emergencies may be exposed to chemical, biological, physical or radioactive hazards. Hospitals providing emergency response services must be prepared to carry out their missions without jeopardizing the safety and health of their own workers. Of special concern are the situations where contaminated patients arrive at the hospital for triage or definitive treatment following a major accident.
In many localities, the hospital has not been firmly integrated into the community disaster response system and may not be prepared to safely treat multiple casualties resulting from an incident involving hazardous substances. Increasing awareness of the need to protect health care workers and understanding the principal considerations in the emergency response planning will help to reduce the risk of health care worker exposure to hazardous substances.
Occupational Health Response to Bioterrorism - From American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc.
Although the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses website is geared toward the occupational health nurse, its website provides helpful information and resources for all healthcare professionals who are dealing with bioterrorism.
www.awhonn.org/awhonn/?pg=0-873-8010
www.osha-slc.gov/Publications/OSHA3152/osha3152.html
www.aaohn.org
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