Hygiene, medicine safety and ethics
The requirements that make care safe and dignified
You work close to vulnerable people and perform tasks where errors can have serious consequences. Therefore hygiene, medicine safety and ethics are not extra tasks – they are the very foundation for care being safe and dignified.
§Hygiene prevents infection
Proper hand hygiene is the single most important action against infection. You disinfect or wash hands before and after contact with a citizen and when switching between tasks. You use protective equipment where necessary and keep clean around the citizen. Many citizens are weakened and particularly susceptible to infections so your hygiene directly protects their health.
§Safe medication handling
When you handle medication it requires great care. You follow the prescription closely and check that it's the right person the right medicine the right dose the right time and the right way. You document what you've given. If anything doesn't add up you don't give the medicine until it's clarified. A medication error can be serious so there are no shortcuts here.
- 01Hand hygiene before and after contact and when changing between tasks.
- 02Follow the doctor's orders carefully and document.
- 03Check right resident, right medicine, right dose, right time, and right method
- 04Stop in case of doubt — clarify before you act.
§Confidentiality obligation
You get access to very personal information about the citizen's health and life. It is confidential, and you have a duty of confidentiality. You share information only with those who need it to help the citizen, and you do not talk about named citizens where others can hear. The citizen must be able to trust that what happens in care does not spread.
§Dignity and self-determination
A cornerstone of ethics is respect for the resident's dignity and right to self-determination. You ask explain and listen you respect a no and you help in a way that preserves the resident's pride. Being cared for can be associated with shame and dependence; the way you do it can make the difference between humiliation and dignity.
§Your boundaries and acting on errors
Ethical work means knowing your limits, asking for help, and daring to speak up. Healthcare learns from errors rather than seeking scapegoats, and you should know the procedure for reporting adverse events. Speaking out that something went wrong or nearly went wrong is responsible—that is how care becomes safer for the next patients.
“Hygiene, medicine safety and respect are not requirements that make work difficult – they are what make care safe and dignified for the person you care for.”