The healthcare industry has experienced rapid expansion in recent years. The need for qualified healthcare workers has grown along with technological innovation. Each healthcare provider has a crucial impact on the patient’s life. For any hospital, they are essential. In this article, we will learn about the role of GDA, whose job is sometimes overlooked despite the fact that hospitals and other healthcare facilities depend on them constantly. They diligently labor to aid and care for patients and are also known as general duty assistants. They are also known as nursing assistants or medical assistants and are a necessary component of the healthcare industry.
General Duty Assistants – Who are they?
The nursing care assistants are those who play a crucial part in the hospital or healthcare ecosystem. They provide patients with daily care and make sure they are as safe and comfortable as possible. GDA’s look after all health regulations and create a suitable and clean workplace. They also look after the patient’s diet. In general, they are in charge of a patient’s total care.
A GDA in hospital must also operate under the trained nurse’s guidance or supervision. They should have strong communication abilities and be able to display their personal care skills. It’s crucial to successfully communicate with the nursing team’s other team members. By helping and supporting the nursing staff with administrative and simple chores, these healthcare professionals increase the effectiveness of the nursing staff. As a result, nurses can concentrate more on patients who are critically ill.
They should also exercise all required caution and keep themselves clean and hygienic in order to prevent the transmission of any diseases or infections. They should be informed about handling emergencies and how to do so while adhering to the moral and legal standards of accepted practice.
What Functions does a General Duty Assistant Perform?
These are the fundamental responsibilities and requirements for a GDA:
- Continuous assessment of health and vital signs
- Daily attention to the patients’ wellbeing, safety, and medication.
- Treating patients and clothing them.
- Administering the various shots and medications.
- Placing drips
- Ensuring that a patient’s diet is healthful and well-balanced.
- Maintaining the patient’s hygiene
- Assisting patients in getting in and out of bed and with mobility.
- Helping patients with their daily tasks and offering them psychological assistance.
1. Admission of Patients
When a patient is admitted, a hospital stay is planned for observation, research, and disease treatment. The patient may be admitted to the hospital for either an urgent situation or merely a regular examination. For example, patients suffering heart attacks, accidents, acute appendicitis, poisoning, labor pain, diarrhea, dysentery, hyperpyrexia, haematemesis, dyspnea, shock, etc. are considered emergency admissions and require prompt treatment.
In admissions for emergencies, every second counts. Therefore, the patient must be admitted to the emergency room or casualty department without delay, and treatment must start right away to preserve her or his life. Routine admissions include those with hypertension, diabetes, chronic appendicitis, jaundice, hernias, liver cirrhosis, chronic renal failure, nephritis, bronchitis, etc. as well as those who are being admitted for planned examinations and treatments.
2. Patient Personal and Medical Information Recording
Certain information that is necessary for a patient’s identity must be entered by the record section clerk. Inquiries about the patient’s name, address, age, gender, religion, occupation, income, marital status, address, phone number, and the name and address of their closest relative may be made by the clerk to the patient or members of the patient’s family. The outpatient record contains the information. The information needed must be collected from the patient’s relatives or friends who are present in the hospital if the patient is too unwell to respond to the questions and needs to be admitted right away.
It is essential to be aware of the diagnosis or suspected diagnosis, the severity of the sickness, and the name of the doctor who has been recommended in order to offer suitable and adequate services as well as timely care. By posing pertinent questions to the patient, you can get this information. An outpatient number is issued to the patient for future use. Additional information that is required to proceed with seeking medical advice is provided.
3. Patient Examination and Medical History
The doctor meticulously documents the patient’s social and medical history. The temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure of the patient are all noted. A complete physical examination, from head to toe, will disclose any deviations from the body’s typical structure and functions, aiding the doctor in making a diagnosis. In order to identify the illness and provide a course of treatment, necessary examinations including X-rays and laboratory tests are also carried out. When friends or family members bring a patient to the hospital, they frequently want to visit and speak with the doctor to get more information about the patient’s condition.
The GDA is responsible for making the required preparations for the patient’s friends and family to meet the doctor. Mildly ill people are sent home without being admitted. Other patients with serious or persistent illnesses are admitted to the hospital for additional testing and care. The GDA or an attendant will accompany patients who are not critically ill as they walk to the clinical section.
4. Patient Transportation
Care must be taken when transporting an injured patient to and inside the hospital. The hospital’s patient transportation system includes internal, exterior, and other forms of triage. External transportation comprises ambulances, relief vans, trains, or manual laborers, whereas internal transportation involves the use of trolleys, stretchers, lifts, escalators, etc. for carrying patients, equipment, and other supplies. In order to prevent a victim’s condition from worsening before they arrive at the hospital, transportation is provided. A person who is seriously ill or injured has to be immobilized unless his life is in danger. Never leave an extremely ill patient with untrained personnel. Never should a female patient be left alone with a male caregiver.
Rundown
GDA are the first persons to interact with the patients and they should be highly active and responsible while handling the patients. It is better if you choose them wisely by getting in touch with top manpower outsourcing companies.
Also read: Healthcare Marketing: Best Practices to Attract Patients