Introduction: Safety and Infection Control – NCLEX-RN®

00:01 Let's take a look at the safety and infection control category on the NCLEX.

00:05 Now, remember, this category is a sub category of safe and effective care environment. It's worth approximately 10 to 16%.

00:14 So anything in between, there could be ten, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16% of your exam.

00:21 Remember, everyone's test has to follow the same blueprint.

00:26 The topics that you'll experience in safety and infection control seem pretty straightforward. Your job in this section is to answer questions and protect clients from injury. Remember, that's a huge concept all the way through the NCLEX is safety.

00:42 What keeps this particular patient in this particular setting the safest? That will include things like you want to make sure that the treatment order is appropriate as an option.

00:53 You're expected to be able to evaluate an order and determine if it's safe or not for that patient. In fact, you may see questions that say, which of these orders would it be important for the nurse to question? You have to follow procedures for handling bio hazardous and hazardous materials.

01:11 So you want to brush up on those because that's part of the safety and infection control section.

01:16 This last one gets a little sticky, but it's really important in practice and on the end checks. You do acknowledge what happened even when it's a practice error or a near miss. Now, you don't want to put any subjective language in there.

01:30 You want to keep it just to the facts.

01:32 So the most clear, concise and objective documentation is what you want here.

01:37 For example, you wouldn't say mettre accomplished on this patient.

01:41 What you would say is patient received x medication, whatever the medication was, the dosage that they received, and you would just state how you monitored the patient afterwards. The hospital will have a separate policy on what you need to do and what you need to document, but you want just clear, concise and objective documentation of what happened with the patient.

02:03 You might also get a question about security plans and procedures, particularly about controlled access areas.

02:09 Maybe even with a newborn.

02:12 You have to be good at infection prevention.

02:15 So of course, simple things like hand hygiene you're really strong in.

02:18 But they're also going to ask you questions that involve sterile technique, what's universal and standard barrier precautions.

02:25 So make sure you review those before you sit for your exam.

02:29 In addition to following infection control techniques and prevention measures, you'll also be responsible for educating clients and staff about those prevention measures.

02:40 The last part of safety infection control is usually an area that students struggle with.

02:45 It's about restraints.

02:47 So let me give you just a few key tips now.

02:50 It would rarely, if ever, be the right answer for a nurse to request to put restraints on the patient.

02:58 Now, in the stem of the question, it says the primary health care provider has ordered these restraints.

03:05 Then your job is to make sure that the patient is monitored safely and they are safe in those restraints.

03:12 But if restraints is in the answer choice, please look for anything else that you can do to keep that patient safe besides putting on a restraint.

03:23 Now, in this world, they tend to be more acceptable with a vest restraint, which can sometimes be called a pose restraint, and that allows the patient to turn in bed.

03:34 But they can't get out wrist restraints or legs restraints, what we call extremity restraints. Those can make a patient extremely combative.

03:43 I mean, think what it would feel like for you to be tied down your nose itches, you can't move. So more palatable to patients in any world is to put a vest restraint what some places call a posi restraint on your patient.

03:56 Either way, these patients need extra monitoring.

04:01 They need to be checked on.

04:02 And if you have an extremity restraint on, you're going to check for pulses after that restraint.