Increasing Safety in Acute Care Units

Presenter: Lauren Monnig, Nursing, Global Public Health Scholars

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For my practicum, I used my job at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital to learn more about public health and how I can do my part to keep people safe in the Acute Care Unit. The unit that I work on has focused on strokes and COVID-19 patients in addition to the typical MedSurg patients. There is a large population of elderly people who come to stay in the Acute Care Unit, therefore, the risks of falls are substantially increased. Nurses, CNA’s, and Providers have to work as a team to figure out how to decrease the risks of falls and consequently decrease serious injuries that come from falls. I have been working here for almost a year as a CNA as well as a unit secretary, my usual duties include but are not limited to taking vitals, communicating with nurses and patients, assisting is activities of daily living, removing IV’s, performing EKG’s and other scans, and most importantly doing my part to keep patients safe and comfortable. While working here and being part of the CUSP (Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program) I have learned how to assess if a patient has a safe environment and when to implement an increased safety measure such as falls mats, baby monitors, “Avasure” (telesitter), etc.. Making sure that patients have adequate safety measures put in place reduces the risk of other injuries, and allows patients to recover and get discharged quicker.