Lifeguard Training Sacramento

How to write a patient care report

Posted on by SafetyPros in In-Service, Lifeguard, Professional Rescuers, Rescue, Title 22 Leave a comment

Many emergency responders including Lifeguards, complete a patient care report on the incidents they respond to. Responders involved in the incident need to complete the appropriate report form as quickly as possible after providing care. Record only factual information of what was heard and seen and any action taken. Do not give personal opinions.

Documentation is important for legal reasons as well as for tracking when, where and how often incidents occur. Reports provide valuable information for facilities to use when they assess safety protocols, such as staffing levels or placement of lifeguard stations.

Here is a checklist of questions providers should answer before submitting a report:

  • Are your descriptions detailed enough?
  • Are the abbreviations you used appropriate and professional?
  • Is your report free of grammar and spelling errors?
  • Is it legible?
  • Is the chief complaint correct?
  • Is your impression specific enough?
  • Are all other details in order?

 

1. Check descriptions
Upon the completion of every incident, your report documents all events that occurred. This includes a detailed assessment of the situation and a full recounting of the treatment administered to the patient. It is specific, informative, free of ambiguity and negligence.

  • Which arm is the patient having pain?
  • Is it the upper or lower part of the arm?
  • What was the timeline of the incident?

 

2. Check (and recheck) spelling and grammar

Your report should paint a picture, but this is impossible to do without proper English. Besides not being accurate or professional, incorrect English may very well lead a reader to believe something false. For example, there may be confusion (and laughter) if a report says “patient fainted and her eyes rolled around the room.” Though this is a humorous example, dire consequence can follow confusing reporting.

Reporting should be free of misspellings and the understanding of what you are trying to say should be clear. For example, the trauma surgeon should have a good understanding of the mechanism of injury that brought the patient to the hospital from reading your report.

3. Assess your chief complaint description
An area of the report that is frequently misused is the chief complaint which should explain why you were needed or why the patient is being treated. Chief complaint is not the cause of the injury. For example, a chief complaint is pain to the right lower arm, not the fact that the patient has fallen off a ladder. Using the patient’s own words is an appropriate practice if they describe symptoms of their chief complaint.

4. Review your impressions
An impression encompasses the reasons for patient treatment. Trauma and fall are too vague to be used as impressions. Include the body areas or symptoms that are being treated. In other words, what treatment protocol is being followed?

If you are following a stroke protocol, and your assessment indicates a possible stroke, this should be included in your impression. Multi-systems trauma injuries bring additional challenges, but if multi-body systems are involved, they all should be included in your impression of the patient.

5. Check the final details
The patient’s SAMPLE including past medical history and medications are important to note. Document the patient’s history completely. Remember bystanders or those close to the patient can often provide valuable information about the patient.

Another important aspect to clearly document is the outcome of your treatments. Some reports have a standard text box that indicates improved, but in your narrative you should clearly document how the treatment improved the patient’s condition.

After the incident and upon completion of the report writing, you may be asked to attend an operational debriefing. The goals of the debriefing are to examine what happened, assess the effectiveness of the EAP, condier new ways to prevent similiar incidents and to be alert for stress reactions after a critical incident. Be sure to avaoid assigning blame or criticizing anyone’s actions or reactions.

For additional in-service training at your facility, contact the rescue professionals at Safety Training Pros 844-900-SAFE (7233).


Who is Resusci Anne?

Posted on by SafetyPros in CPR, General, Rescue, Training Leave a comment

We’ve all seen her, and many of us have learned our lifesaving CPR skills on her. You might ask who was the inspiration for that pleasant, yet enigmatic face on the Laerdal Resusci Anne manikin?

As originally reported by Kristine Rice of American Safety & Health Institute

It would seem that “Anne” came from the face of a French girl, found drowned in the Seine in Paris in the 19th century. The mouleurs (model-makers) were asked by a pathologist at the Paris mortuary to make a cast of the victim’s face, and it quickly became the mask-and-bust studio’s best-seller.

This little mask of the intriguing mystery girl has become fodder for poems, novels, and stories ever since, but the best use to which it was put came in the mid-1950s, when toymaker Asmund Laerdal used it for his first CPR manikin.

Snopes.com also weighs in on the story in their refutation of an urban legend about the origin of Resusci Anne’s peaceful visage. This often-repeated version credits Dr. Peter Safar, one of the creators of CPR, with modeling Anne after his own daughter, lost in a drowning accident.

Not quite, says Snopes. While Dr. Safar did unfortunately lose an 11-year-old daughter, it was not by drowning nor did he himself create a manikin. Our thanks instead must go to Laerdal for the creation that life-like manikin for CPR training still widely used today.

Safety Training Pros utilizes Laerdal manikins in all our CPR classes because of the realistic features, anatomically correct landmarks, audible feedback that reinforces the correct compression depth, and realistic chest compression resistance that allows our students to experience the amount of pressure needed to perform proper chest compressions in a real-life situation. Even though Laerdal manikins have one of the highest price points in the industry, the hands-on real-world simulation practice is worth it. Get rescue ready, get your CPR training from Safety Training Pros!


How to Renew Your Lifeguard Certification

Posted on by SafetyPros in Aquatics, Lifeguard, Rescue, Training Leave a comment

Safety Training Pros is offering a one day re-certification class for current lifeguards.  The class is from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM on Sunday, April 21, 2013 at the Glen Oaks Swim & Tennis Club, 4301 Paradise Drive, Carmichael.

The course is for lifeguards currently certified in American Red Cross Lifeguarding/First Aid, and/or CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer, needing to update their skills to maintain their certification. Through videos and hands-on review practice, you’ll refresh your patron rescue and surveillance skills, land and water rescue skills as well as first aid and CPR/AED for Professional Rescuers. Participants will conclude their re-certification with a written test.

The certifications you earn are good for two years.

The fee is $149, including an electronic version of the new lifeguard manual. Register online at http://198.63.35.143/events/lifeguard-renewal-certification-april-2013/ or by calling 916-538-6447.


How To Become a Better Lifeguard

Posted on by SafetyPros in Aquatics, Lifeguard, Professional Rescuers, Rescue, Training Leave a comment

Set yourself apart from the crowd by adding Advanced Lifeguard Training to your resume. Our training is only offered once a year in Sacramento. To schedule your advanced lifeguard training now, contact Katryna Anderson at Safety Training Pros at 916-538-6447.

For over 10 years we’ve been giving advanced Lifeguards the tools they need to effectively train and supervise aquatic staff across the Western United States. The course incorporates the latest in industry trends and data with years of aquatic operations experience to provide the nations leading lifeguard development workshop. The trainers understand the relationship between a lifeguards ability to solve problems, make decisions, communicate and work as a team, and their ability to perform in critical situations.

This course is designed for experienced lifeguards who wish to improve their Lifeguard skills and those employees that will be in management or training roles. The training date this year will be Saturday, April 6th, 2013 from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. This course fills up quick, so make sure to reserve your training space early!

Not a lifeguard yet? It’s fun and easy to get your lifeguard certification and become a trained professional rescuer. Contact Safety Training Pros for more information 916-538-6447 or go to safetytrainingpros.com.