Here are the four essentials:
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1. Ensure patients and families are provided information on proper use of the patient-controlled analgesia pump so they understand the pump delivers a powerful narcotic and that there should be no “PCA by proxy,” a practice in which an unauthorized person activates the PCA.
2. Make sure patients and families understand why they must be monitored for safety reasons using oximetry on the finger and a capnography cannula on the nose.
3. Educate patients and families about monitor readouts.
4. Explain to patients why alarms sound and what to do when they sound.
More Articles on Patient Safety:
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