National Nurses Week to focus on safety culture in health care
Photo: American Nurses Association
Silver Spring, MD – The American Nurses Association is calling on nurses to “help make their workplaces safer to enhance patient care and nurses’ health and well-being” during National Nurses Week.
The theme for this year’s National Nurses Week (May 6-12) is “Culture of Safety – It Starts with YOU.” In support of the event, ANA is offering nurses a free webinar May 10, as well as free tips, tools and other guidance all week, as part of the National Nurses Week Resource Toolkit.
According to ANA, registered nurses sustain the sixth-highest rates of musculoskeletal injuries resulting in missed workdays – many from manually lifting patients. Registered nurses and other health care workers lift an estimated 3,600 pounds per shift, the association claims.
“Injuries to nurses and other health care professionals should not be tolerated as just ‘part of the job,’” ANA President Pamela F. Cipriano said in a press release. “In a culture of safety, nurses are encouraged to talk openly about safety issues and their impact on patient care. … Clearly, there is still work to be done, and nurses will play a key role.”
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