Nursing education is specific to nursing care and does not include cleaning. Assigning cleaning tasks to nurses takes away precious time from patient care, with possible repercussions on the quality of the healthcare service. The time taken away from patient care is a risk for patient safety. Less time for care means a greater risk of errors and adverse events. Professional downgrading: Cleaning is not only not a nursing skill, but it also devalues the professionalism of nurses. One of the causes can be attributed to the shortage of support staff, OSS, which forces nurses to perform tasks that are not their own. No less frequently, there are also errors of company disorganization, wrong choices The State-Regions Agreement of February 22, 2001 which establishes the figure of the Social Health Operator and defines the profiles of the specific activities! In practice, many nurses find themselves carrying out the cleaning of equipment and the operating table, sanitizing furniture and the operating bed, disposing of dirty linen and closing collection bags, closing the rot, mopping the floor. The OSS figure was created to meet the hygienic, domestic, and hotel needs of patients, therefore also necessary in emergency departments, such as emergency rooms, intensive care, and operating rooms. More OSS, less downgrading: an investment for health and safety. Downgrading leads to low job satisfaction, already present due to the embarrassing salary. Frustrated and demotivated nurses may leave the profession, as has already been happening for some time. It is necessary to increase the number of social health workers to free nurses from cleaning tasks. The downgrading of nurses is a serious problem that must be addressed urgently. It is necessary to protect the professionalism of nurses and guarantee patients quality care. If you find yourself in a situation of downgrading, it is important that you are not alone. Team up with your colleagues and report the problem together, for Emilia Romagna write to lapaginadinursingup@yahoo.com or WhatsApp 3401210916 Share and spread the information. Change starts with sharing. Vincenzo Parisi
Let us remember that fewer minutes of care means a greater risk of infections, LDP, and other complications. Conversely, more minutes of care also means less antibiotic resistance, saving millions of euros. This in the general framework of nursing care.
