On a day to day basis, all health care workers should always be on the lookout for risks.
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Note every patient's symptoms and consider implications of these. For example, when treating a patient who is coughing, you might want to wear a mask. |
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Watch for and deal with other risks. For example, if someone leaves used sharps or wound dressings lying around, these should be disposed of. |
In addition to this, a regular, formal assessment of risks at least once a year helps to identify risks and modify procedures where necessary.
Prevention is better than cure Ideally, potential risks or hazards should be identified and dealt with before they cause problems. If you see a situation that could be hazardous to yourself or others, do something about it. This may involve dealing with it yourself or reporting it to someone else to deal with. Learning from mistakes When an incident does occur, an assessment should be made of what happened, why it happened, and steps that could be taken to prevent it happening again. This may require changes to existing procedures and work practices. |