Posts Tagged ‘patient safety’

Don’t Be a Victim – Stay Safe While Working Solo

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

Sleep Tech Tip of the Week

By Lynnette Shafer, RPSGT

I haven’t always worn scrubs or business suits to work every day. Several years ago, my professional wardrobe included a crisp uniform complete with a badge, .45 caliber handgun, pepper spray, defense baton, body armor and a really cool mode of transportation complete with lights and sirens. Yes, I was a police officer! A few years later, I found myself to be a laid-off, unemployed Police/Corrections Officer with two young daughters to support on my own. Ouch. (more…)

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Utilizing Technology To Stay Safe While Working In the Sleep Lab

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Sleep Tech Tip of the Week

By Michael Miller, RPSGT

Due to the extremely positive feedback that last week’s Sleep Tech Tip of the Week generated, I chose the path of least resistance when deliberating what to write about this week. Inspired by Lynnette Shafer’s article “Don’t Be a Victim-Stay Safe While Working Solo”, I decided to cover the topic of staff safety from a technical viewpoint. No matter whether you are male or female, working alone or working with colleagues, working with inappropriate adult patients or working with boisterous pediatric patients, I propose implementing technology as a tool to thwart any unsuitable behavior that is alluring to patients when visiting a sleep lab. (more…)

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Take Care Of Yourself, Because If You Don’t Who Will?

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Sleep Tech Tip of the Week
By Michael Miller, RPSGT

A subject that many of us in the healthcare field neglect is our own safety and well being.  We are trained to respond to medical emergencies, react to unique situations, and most often put the needs of our patients before that of our own. We rarely think about what we would do if we experienced a medical emergency that posed a threat to our own well being. Sleep professionals, especially techs who work alone in independent diagnostic testing facilities, are one of the most at risk groups of healthcare providers who may experience a personal medical situation that may require them to put their needs first. (more…)

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Patient Safety In The Sleep Lab

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Sleep Tech Tip of the Week

by Michael Miller, RPSGT

Pt being treatedI recently read an article in a sleep publication that inspired me to choose patient safety as the topic for the sleep tech tip of the week. The article referenced the recent untimely passing of a young patient whose cause of death was due to sudden cardiac arrest. Upon reading that editorial I was immediately reminded of a patient whom I encountered early in my career as a sleep professional. I was actually in the process of waking up my patient in order to disconnect him from the equipment when he stood up briefly, fell backwards into the bed, and instantly became cyanotic. I called for help while simultaneously assessing the patient and initiating CPR. (more…)

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