ONS Connect - August 2008 - (Page 23)

CAREGIVERCARE Politely Say No to Personal or Professional Requests [By Heather Blair, RN, MSN, ONS Research Associate] H ave you ever been asked to do something that you just didn’t have the time to do? How can you say no without offending the other person or feeling guilty yourself? When someone comes to you with a request, listen respectfully. Be sure that you understand what is being asked of you before you respond. Sometimes the request may be more time consuming than you thought, or it could take little effort at all. You do have the right to say no, so don’t try to do everything. Be polite but firm in your response. Say no as simply as possible in a confident, straightforward voice. You only build false hope with rambling, drawnout explanations. When a supervisor asks you to do an important task, remind him or her that you are working on other projects that the supervisor has identified as a top priority. Ask for assis- tance in deciding where that new task should fall in the list of priorities. If you must explain why you need to decline, keep it simple and avoid lying. You also may wish to provide the person with alternatives, such as doing what is being asked at another time. If a person is persistent in his or her request even after you have said no, be firm. Be respectful even if the person asking is not. If the refusal makes someone upset, stay calm and remove yourself from the situation. Consider prefacing your “no” by saying “I understand what you are saying”—it helps to demonstrate empathy for the other person. ✱ ADVERTISEMENT ICU Medical Offers Safe Handling Made Simple The short- and long-term effects from exposure to hazardous chemotherapy drugs are serious concerns for all healthcare workers, most notably oncology nurses and pharmacists. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and ONS all offer guidelines for the safe handling of these substances. ICU Medical’s oncology preparation and delivery systems meet all of these organizations’ guidelines for personal protective equipment. No other company has the ability to address the following four key points: preparation, transport, administration, and disposal. • Preparation: ICU Medical offers mechanically and microbiologically closed, needle-free vial access to minimize exposure and protect the sterility of compounded drugs. This means no pieces to assemble, integrated and bonded connections, and elimination of accidental needle-sticks and bag punctures—plus minimal workflow disruption. • Transport: Because all of ICU Medical’s connections are bonded, nurses are not exposed to unsafe disconnect points; they can “connect and go.” This also prevents expensive drug loss due to accidental disconnect during transport. • Administration: ICU Medical’s needlefree systems, compatible with other needle-free systems, employ simple-touse concepts that are already familiar to nursing staff. Permanently bonded sets will prevent accidental spills and drips. • Disposal: ICU Medical’s systems create a closed system for disposal to protect against environmental contamination. For more specific information about ICU Medical’s landmark technologies to improve safe handling of chemotherapy drugs, visit www.ICUMedical.com or www.ONSEdge.com. August 2008 ONS CONNECT 23 http://www.ICUMedical.com http://www.ICUMedical.com http://www.ONSEdge.com

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ONS Connect - August 2008 Contents Editor's Note Just In Safe Handling of Chemotherapy A Year in the Life—Month Eight Put Evidence Into Practice to Manage Dyspnea Web Connect Capitol Connection Notice Nursing Now Caregiver Care KRAS Status Predicts Response to Cetuximab for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Calendar of Events Working for You Staying on Top

ONS Connect - August 2008

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