Unit 4  Hospital Environment

Chapter 1  Factors Affecting Health in Environment

Factors Affecting Health in Environment

Pollution

Environmental pollution is a term that applies to all the ways that we harm the natural environment.

Air pollution  Air pollution is the transfer of harmful amounts of natural and synthetic materials into the atmosphere as a consequence of human activity.

Air pollution has been shown to be responsible for increases in respiratory infections, such as chronic bronchitis, asthma, and emphysema. Heavy pollution will cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, and may possibly have other serious health effects not yet known.

Smoking and air pollution  Some studies have shown that the risks of disorders are almost as great, if not greater, for the person who is inhaling “second-hand smoke” as for the person who is actually smoking. Water pollution  Basically, water pollution can be defined as any human action that impairs the use of water as a resource. All water pollution can be divided into four categories: biological agents, dissolved chemicals, non-dissolved chemicals an医学三基d heat.

Epidemics of waterborne diseases, such as typhoid fever, dysentery and infectious hepatitis, have occurred worldwide throughout history.

Radiation  Radiation is an invisible pollutant, which can travel far away from its source, contaminating any part of the environment. Radioactive waste produced by nuclear reactors and weapon factories poses a serious environmental risk. Some of this waste will remain radioactive for thousands of years. For this reason the storage of radioactive waste is unsafe, difficult and very expensive.

Soil pollution  Soil pollution happens when we destroy the thin layer of healthy and productive soil, which covers the earth’s surface. There are many other human activities which can damage soil.

Noise pollution  Noise pollution can be defined as unwanted or offensive sounds that unreasonably intrudes into our daily activities. It has many sources, most of which are associated with urban development: road, air and rail transport; industrial noise; neighborhood and recreational noise.

Chapter 2  Hospital Environment

Temperature

Most North Americans feel comfortable in indoor temperatures between 20 and 22?C (68 and 72℉). Chinese people are comfortable indoor temperatures between 18 and 22?C.

Humidity

Humidity is the amount of moisture, expressed as a percentage, in the air. Most people are comfortable when the humidity is between 50% and 60%.

Light

Adequate lighting is necessary to perform nursing procedures with minimum eye strain. A safe environment is neither dim nor glaring, and has no deep shadows. Some people are more sensitive to bright light than others.

Ventilation and Odors

Ventilation refers to the movement of air. When air is still, it becomes stale and oppressive. On the contrary, circulating air is refreshing and cooling. In hospitals all the pathogens and unpleasant odors are associated with body secretions and excretions, such as urine, stool, vomits, draining wounds, or body odors. So hospital rooms should be well ventilated to decrease odors, allowing a draft, an air conditioner or an open window to strike the bed area.

Noise

Noise can be an environmental hazard. Sound levels above 120 decibels (units of loudness) are painful and may damage people’s ears. Tolerance of noise is largely individual. The rural dweller may find the city noisy, whereas the city dweller may be oblivious to urban sounds. Generally speaking, sound levels below 45 decibels are comfortable.

Chapter 3  Providing Comfortable and Safe Environments for Patients

Patient Unit and Equipment

A patient unit refers to the place where the patient’s bed is located. It includes the bed and other furniture, and the equipment used in care. This unit may be in a private or a semiprivate room or in a ward. The basic equipment for a patient unit includes the following:

● Furniture  Bed, bedside table, over-bed table, chair, and light.

● Linen  Sheets, pillowcases, blankets, bed spread, bath blanket, face towel, bath towel, washcloth, bedpan cover, gown, quilt.

● Toilet equipment  Washbasin, soap dish, toothbrush container, kidney basin (emesis basin), comb and brush, nailbrush, bedpan (and urinal for male patient).

● Other articles  Water pitcher and drinking glasses, thermometer, call bell or button, screen or curtain.

● Equipment for nursing treatments may be kept outside the unit, in the treatment or utility room. The unit should always be complete and ready to use.

Body Mechanics

Body mechanics refers to optimal use of the body for work, correlating body systems with physical laws to achieve the greatest effect with the least effort. It involves three basic elements:

Balance

The greater the base of support, the more stability the person has for changing the body position while maintaining balance. The weightbearing joints and skeletal muscles of the legs provide a stable base of support, which can be widened by placing the feet farther apart and flexing the hip and knee joints. 

The center of gravity in an object is the point where the bulk of the object is center. A standing person, the center of gravity tends to be in the area of the pelvis, slightly anterior to the sacrum. The lower the center of gravity in an object, the greater its stability.

An object is most stable if a line drawn from the center of gravity dissects the center of the base of support.

Guidelines for Good Body Mechanics

The following are specific concepts and basic principles to good body mechanics:

● Start any body movement with proper alignment and balance. Increase the body’s stability as necessary, by enlarging the base of support and/or lowering the center of gravity toward the base of support.

● Adjust the height of the work area when possible.

● Use the large muscle groups of the leg whenever possible to provide the force for the movement.

● Prepare the muscles in the pelvic area before bringing them into action. This has two aspects: “putting on the internal girdle” and“making a long midriff.”

● Avoid working against gravity. Because of the gravitational pull, more force is required to lift an object than to push or pull an object. Pushing and pulling do not involve directly overcoming the gravitational pull.

Chapter 4  Making Bed in Coating 

Methods of Bed-making

Since you will make a great many beds, you have to know how to make them correctly with the least amount of effort. Although every health care agency has its own method for making different types of beds and details may be variable, hospital beds are traditionally and universally made as in the procedure4-1.

The closed bed

The closed bed is an unoccupied bed. It is often made after a patient has discharged or just before a new patient is admitted. The used bed unit must be stripped and thoroughly cleaned before making the closed bed. The newly making closed bed must remain clear until a new patient is admitted. In hospital, it takes the patient a major part of time to rest in bed. So a comfort and safe bed is very important for the patient.

The unoccupied bed

Making an unoccupied bed adds to a pleasure environment and provides comfort and safety for patients. It is usually made before a new patient admitted or after a patient is away for a moment. The bed should not be opened until shortly before the patient’s arrival. If the bed lies open for a long time before occuppied, dust and germs in the air will settle on the sheets and the pillowcase.

The postoperative bed

The postoperative bed is also referred to as the recovery bed, anesthetic bed, or surgical bed. It may be used not only for patients who have undergone surgical procedures but also for patients who have been given anesthetic for certain examinations.