92 Unit 1 Introduction to Healthcare Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. In this chapter, you will learn about two extremely important health- care topics: safety and infection control. Safety must be a primary concern of anyone choosing a career in healthcare. Maintaining safe conditions means avoiding danger, risks, injury, and infection for patients, healthcare work- ers, and visitors. Infection control includes all the activities involved with preventing the spread of infection. Every possible effort must be made to maintain infection control to protect patients from further health problems and keep employees and their families safe and healthy. After completing this chapter, you will be more aware of and better prepared to follow safety and infection control procedures. Safety As a future healthcare worker, when you think of safety, you probably think of making sure that patients are safe. Keeping patients safe is indeed a critical part of healthcare safety, but there is much more to healthcare safety. If you work in healthcare, you must be aware at all times of conditions that could negatively impact not only the safety of patients, but also the safety of your coworkers, visitors to your facility, and of course, yourself. Let’s take a closer look at these different aspects of safety. Safety in Healthcare Facilities Some healthcare facilities have special safety regulations that apply to their specifi c environment, equipment, or patients. You will need to learn and practice these regulations at each healthcare facility at which you work. In addition, there are some general safety rules that all healthcare workers at all healthcare facilities should remember. Safety Manuals Every healthcare facility has policies regarding safety and should have written safety instructions readily available to all employees. These policies are usually spelled out in the facility’s safety manual. Instructions for follow- ing the facility’s safety guidelines will most likely be part of the in-service training given to all new employees. You will also be required to attend all staff training regarding patient safety issues. It is important that you follow all safety procedures in the safety manual of your facility. Individual departments within the facility may have additional written safety rules specifi c to their operations. For example, a department using hazardous chemicals will have rules for the safe handling of chemicals. The diagnostic imaging department will have manuals dealing with radia- tion safety. It is also important that you follow all of your department’s safety rules. General Safety Rules The following are some of the most important standard safety rules for all healthcare facilities. These are the types of rules you will fi nd in the safety manuals of the different healthcare facilities at which you work. infection control term for all efforts made to prevent the spread of infection