Document 6wzNEQQajJ09Zkao235qXQQvg

coordinated with community plans for such events See "Planning for Emergencies," Chapter 18 Procedures should include selecting, train ing, and supervising auxiliary personnel, and should provide for 1 Selecting and training auxiliary nursing personnel 2 Selecting and training first aid workers 3 Transporting and canng for the injured 4 Transferring seriously injured to hospitals 5 Coordinating these plans with the safety department, guards, police, road patrols, fire departments, and other interested community groups Duties of the occupational health nurse Occupational health nursing is a specialized branch of the nursing profession The posi tion requires a registered professional nurse, who is licensed in the state where employed In addition, it is desirable that the occupa tional health nurse have some knowledge of workmen's compensation laws, insurance, health and safety laws, occupational diseases, sanitation, first aid, and record keeping The occupational health nurse contributes the most when she works with the company physician who provides her with written di rectives that have been discussed between them, so they are mutually agreed upon and understood Working with the physician, the occupa tional health nurse can provide a variety of nursing services, such as initial care for in juries or illnesses, counseling, health educa tion, consultation about sanitary standards, and referral to community health agencies She also can participate m programs to evalu ate employee health, such as health exami nations, or to prevent disease, such as immu nizations Working with the physician, the plant nurse can perform excellent employee health edu cation services in the distribution of literature on heart care, weight control, cancer and tuberculosis prevention, and the prevention and treatment of venereal disease When the physician is only at the establish ment part time, the nurse is responsible to him on professional matters, and to a member of management on administrative matters In this case, the nurse works with the safety di rector m planning and conducting accident prevention programs The occupational health nurse must main tain a confidential professional relationship with the employees in conformity with legal and ethical codes She may not divulge in formation contained in individual employee health records unless the employee gives his signed permission, the medical files are only accessible to medical personnel It must be cleai that establishment of medi cal diagnosis and definition of treatment are the functions of the physician The nurse is not a substitute for him Each has a legally defined area of practice and responsibility An effective company medical program re quires the services of both a physician and a nurse According to a statement published by the American Medical Association m 1959 "Courts have held that professional nurses have a legal duty to interpret evidence presented by the patient possibly indicating the need for medical attention, and to proceed m the light of that interpretation to do what is required for the patient, as for example the need to call a physician, to discontinue a treatment where there is evidence of its harm ful effect, for example on an unconscious pa tient, or to determine the patient's need for special medication, for example, sedatives There can be little doubt that by custom and usage the relationship between doctor, patient, and nurse is one in which the parties recognize that the nurse as well as the physician has the function and responsibility to observe and interpret the patient's reactions "In emergency cases, industrial nurses have a duty to determine the need for prompt medi cal attention, to make a tentative diagnosis of the patient's condition, and to employ neces sary resuscitative and first aid measures " Physical examination program Supervision of the health status of workers by qualified medical personnel is essential if any occupational health program is to obtain maximum benefits for both employer and em ployee Therefore, a program of physical examinations should be established The 553