HCA Guide PDF

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: human needs in five levels, basic (physiological) complex (self-actualization). helps HCAs understand clients' motivations and prioritize needs like safety, love/belonging, esteem, and personal growth. Fatigue and Its Effects: Fatigue is a feeling of constant exhaustion...

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: human needs in five levels, basic (physiological) complex (self-actualization). helps HCAs understand clients' motivations and prioritize needs like safety, love/belonging, esteem, and personal growth. Fatigue and Its Effects: Fatigue is a feeling of constant exhaustion, burnout or lack of energy. It can be physical and mental. Effects are tiredness, dizziness, exhaustion and depression. Difference Between Fatigue and Drowsiness: Fatigue is an extreme physical and mental tiredness that does not go away with rest or sleep. Dizziness can refer to lightheadedness, unsteadiness, or head spinning. Self-Awareness: Self-awareness is an HCA's ability to understand their own emotions, biases, and responses. It helps professionals provide compassionate, unbiased, and culturally competent care. Determinants of Health: Health is influenced by factors like genetics, lifestyle choices, environment, and social circumstances. Understanding these helps HCAs provide care that is personalized to each person’s unique needs. Quality Improvement: This refers to systematic efforts to improve healthcare outcomes, reduce errors, and increase patient satisfaction. HCAs may be involved to do things independently Helping vs. Professional Relationship: Helping is general assistance, professional relationship involves boundaries, confidentiality, and respect. HCAs provide professional support focused on clients' goals. Role and Goals of an HCA: HCAs assist with personal care, support independence, and promote the quality of life for clients. Their role includes observing, reporting, and providing care under supervision. Government Organization Act: a health care aide may be permitted to perform certain restricted activities under the supervision of registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, or licensed practical nurses and other regulated health professionals Learned Beliefs: Cultural and societal beliefs acquired throughout life, impacting health behaviors and expectations. HCAs respect and accommodate these beliefs in care. Continuity of Health: providing ongoing care for a person over time. It ensures that as their health needs change or they move between different healthcare providers or settings, their care remains consistent and connected. This approach helps prevent gaps in treatment, improves health outcomes, and supports the person’s overall well-being. Disease Prevention: immunizations, hygiene, and lifestyle changes. Chain of Infection: A model describing how infections spread, with steps from the infectious agent to the susceptible host. Breaking the chain is essential in infection control. Mental Health Act: balance the need for effective mental health treatment with the protection of individual rights, promoting both care and indepndence for those affected by mental health issues. Pathogens vs. Non-Pathogens: Pathogens are microorganisms that cause disease, non-pathogens do not cause disease, harm or death to another organism. Types of Microorganisms: bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa, algae, and viruses. Multidrug Resistance organisms: A strain of bacteria that is very difficult to treat with common antibiotics. Palliative Care Team: A group of healthcare professionals who work together to improve the comfort and quality of life for patients with serious illnesses Stress: The body's response to physical, emotional, psychological challenges. Hand Hygiene: a method of infection control, involving proper handwashing techniques to prevent the spread of infections. Collaborative Care: A team approach to healthcare that involves multiple professionals working together to meet the client’s needs holistically. Fall Prevention and Response:removing hazards, assisting with mobility, and non-slip shoes. HCAs are trained to act quickly if a fall occurs to minimize injury. Personal Directives:legal documents in which individuals specify their wishes for personal and healthcare decisions in case they become unable to make those decisions themselves due to illness They provide guidance to healthcare providers and loved ones about the individual’s preferences for medical treatments, living arrangements, and personal care. Ethical Dilemmas: Situations where HCAs may face conflicts between personal beliefs and professional responsibilities. They must uphold ethical standards, client rights, and informed consent. Transmission based precaution: the second tier of basic infection control and are to be used in addition to Standard Precautions for patients who may be infected or colonized with certain infectious agents for which additional precautions are needed to prevent infection transmission Freedom of information privacy act:(FOIP) protects information that could be expected to injure private or public interests. Direct and Indirect supervision: Direct: Regulated Health Professional supervises the HCA while the task is being performed Indirect: The regulated health professional is on site and available to monitor and supervise when required Infection Prevention: Techniques like hygiene, sterilization to reduce infection risk, wearing gloves. Clean vs. Sterile Technique: Clean technique reduces germs, sterile technique eliminates all microbes. Modern Definition of Health: A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not just the absence of disease. Good Body Mechanics: Proper posture and lifting techniques that prevent injury to HCAs and clients during physical tasks. Responsibility of HCAs: Includes providing safe, respectful, and ethical care, observing, and documenting client health, and communicating with other team members. Biohazardous Waste: Items contaminated with blood, body fluids, secretions, or excretions are called biohazardous waste and may be harmful to others. Ethnicity, Culture, and Race: HCAs consider these aspects in care, understanding their impact on health beliefs and practices. Information Technology: Tools like electronic health records that HCAs use to document and access client information securely. Occupational Health and Safety: Laws and practices to protect HCAs from workplace hazards. Includes wearing PPE, proper lifting, and reporting incidents. Alberta Health Information Act: protects your health information and governs the collection, use and disclosure of that information. Alberta Health Professions Act: Gives each group of health professionals the responsibility of setting their own standards and regulations to be self-governing not including HCA Burn Prevention: Measures to prevent burns during care, such as checking water temperature and avoiding hot surfaces. Regulated Health Professionals: A health professional who meets the education and training requirements of a regulatory body to obtain a license to practice a certain profession. Managed Risk Agreement: An agreement between clients and healthcare providers that balances autonomy with safety, outlining acceptable risks. Lifelong Learning Goals: encourage HCAs to engage in continuous education, helping them stay current with healthcare practices and improve the quality of care they provide. WHMIS Purpose: To make sure employers and workers have clear and complete health and safety information about hazardous products they might encounter at work. educates HCAs on handling hazardous materials safely. Protection for Persons in Care Act: requires the reporting of abuse, and promotes the prevention of abuse involving adult clients who receive publicly funded care or support services Holistic Health: an approach to wellness that simultaneously addresses the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual components of health. Restraints: Any device, garment, barrier, furniture, or medication that limits or restricts freedom of movement or access to one’s own body. Poisoning Prevention and Response: proper storage of hazardous substances, making sure food is fully cooked, and calling for help.