Chapter 2 Workforce Safety and Wellness AAOS EMT 12th Knowledge Objectives Questions And Answers With Verified Solutions

Apply the standard precautions used in treating patients to prevent infection. - Component hand hygiene, PPE, Patient Care Environment, and special circumstances. Demonstrate proper handwashing techniques. - - wash your hands before and after contact with a patient even if you wear gloves. - Any breaks in the skin such as tiny cuts and abrasions are potential access points for pathogens. Although soap and water are not protective in all cases, they provide excellent protection against further transmission from your skin to others. - Rinse your hands using warm water. If water is not available you may use waterless hand- washing substitutes. - Finally , dry your hands with a paper towel, and use the paper towel to turn off the faucet. Describe the different types of protective clothing worn to prevent injury - Cold weather- multiple layers Turnout gear- protection from heat, fire, sparks , flashover , cuts , abrasions , and electrical shock. Also called bunker gear. Gloves- heat, cold , cuts. May reduce dexterity in rescue situation Helmets- falling zone Eye protection- minor injuries, blood, body fluids Ear protection- loud noise Skin Protection- against sunburnBody armor- Fire arms Describe the specific routes of transmission and the steps to prevent and/or deal with an exposure to hepatitis, tuberculosis, or human immunodeficiency (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency disorder (ADIS). - The Specific Routes are direct contact and indirect contact and airborne transmission, aswell as food borne transmission, and vector borne transmission. The steps to prevent direct contact are Donning and Duffing Full PPE, proper hand hygiene, gloves , Eye protection, and face Shields, masks, respirators , and Barrier Devices , proper disposal of sharps, employer responsibilities, cleaning, and decontaminating , immunizations. Differentiate infectious Disease and Communicable Disease. - Infectious Disease: Is a medical condition caused by growth and spread of harmful organisms within the body where as Communicable disease: can spread from one person to person or from person to species to another. Immunizations, protective techniques , and hand washing( cleanliness) help to prevent this. Differentiate issues concerning care of the dying patient, death, and the grieving process of family members. - Grieving process: 1. Danial 2. Anger, hostility 3. Bargaining 4 . Depression 5. acceptance What EMT can do: 1. Ask the patient and family if there is anything you can do to help. 2. Reinforce the reality of the situation 3. be honest and sincere 4. Do not say you know how the patient or family feels 5. Let the patient or family members grieve in their own way. Discuss the steps necessary to determine scene safety and to prevent work-related injuries at the scene. - - You should be begin protecting yourself as soon as you are dispatched - Before you leave for the scene begin preparing yourself mentally and physically. - Make sure you wear a seat belbelts and shoulder harness all times unless patient care makes it impossible._ park the ambulance at safe but concvienent distance from the scene. Before attempting to assess patients who are trapped in vehicle, check the vehicle/'s stability. Discuss workplace issues such as cultural diversity, sexual harassment, and substance abuse - A. Cultural diversity on the job 1. You are expected to work alongside coworkers with varying backgrounds, attitudes, beliefs, and values and to accept their differences. 2. Culture is not restricted to different nationalities, you should also consider age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, work experience, and education. 3. Communicate in a way that is sensitive to everyone's needs. 4. Your ultimate goal should be cultural humility. a. Remain curious about others and continuously reflect on your viewpoints with an open mind. B. Sexual harassment 1. Any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when submitting is a condition of employment, submitting or rejecting is a basis for an employment decision, or such conduct substantially interferes with performance and/or creates a hostile work environment. 2. Two types of sexual harassment: a. Quid pro quo i. The harasser requests sexual favors in exchange for something else, such as a promotion. b. Hostile work environment i. Jokes, touching, leering, requests for a date, talking about body parts 3. The intent of the harasser does not matter, but rather the perception of the act and the impact the behavior has on someone else. 4. Because EMTs and other public safety professionals depend on one another for their safety, it is especially important for you to develop nonadversarial relationships with coworkers. 5. Report harassment to your supervisor immediately. C. Substance abuse 1. Increases risks of accidents and tension among workers 2. Causes poor treatment decisions 3. Many EMS systems now require personnel to undergo periodic random tests for illegal drugs and have "for cause" testing when it is believed that individuals are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 4. Seek help or findExplain posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and steps that can be taken, including critical incident stress management, to decrease the likelihood that PTSD will develop - PTSD- May develop after a person has experienced a psychologically distressing event Symptoms- depression , flashbacks, phoneme, dissociative episodes CISM - used to help providers relieve stress -CISM can occur formally or at an ongoing scene Trained CISM professionals facilitate: 1. defusing sessions are held during immediately after the event 2. Debriefing sessions are held 24-72 hours after the incident 3. An important rule is to not turn the debriefing session into an operational critique If CISM is not an option , private counseling by a mental health professional may be preferable. Explain the steps that contributes to wellness and resilience and their importance in managing stress. - - Eat Healthy and Well balanced diet - 7-9 hours of sleep - Positive relationships, with friends, and family - Build relationships with peers and colleagues - Daily exercise - Build habits of mindfulness and positivity Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep, No vaping, or nicotine, No Alcohol, no drugs