28th Annual Student Research Conference
Environmental safety issues in the swing-bed unit of a rural Northeast MO medical center
Emma S. Staecker*, Brandon J. Stewart, Alexis C. Hackett, Elizabeth A. Terrigino, Miranda Ketcherside, and Michele A. Draper
Dr. Darson L. Rhodes, Faculty Mentor
Gammans were certified by Northeast Regional Medical Center and the MO Coalition for Quality Care as Hospital Patient-Family Advocates (PFA). PFAs visited patient rooms, provided patient rights/ safety information, and conducted bedside safety checks using HRSAs Tool Covering Environmental Safety Concerns at the Bedside inspection instrument (27 items/ 6 environmental safety areas). Single item responses were summarized using descriptive statistics. Objective: To identify which environmental safety issues (paths, furniture, access, floor, lighting, or equipment) are occurring most often and bring that data to the attention of hospital administration. Between spring 2013 and fall 2014 five priority safety issues were discovered. The most frequent problem, failure to provide clear paths, occurred in 14.6% of visits. Other identified concerns include: failure to remove unused equipment, failure to remove bedside commode, failure to move electrical cords from path, and failure to place items within patient reach.
Keywords: Patient-Family Advocate, Safety, Environmental issues
Topic(s):Health Science
Counseling
Environmental Studies
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 7-1
Location: GEO-SUB
Time: 3:30