Many countries celebrate their own versions of Thanksgiving. For Americans, Thanksgiving has become a Hallmark holiday, a treasured time for gathering, expressing gratitude, and sharing meals with family and friends. For healthcare professionals (HCPs), proactive patient education is a critical tool for ensuring patient safety and reducing emergency room visits during this time. This blog provides Thanksgiving safety tips for healthcare professionals to share with patients and families, covering topics such as foodborne illness prevention, safe cooking practices, managing holiday stress, and avoiding common seasonal injuries.
Food Safety: Preventing Foodborne Illness
Foodborne illnesses are a significant risk during Thanksgiving because of the large volume of poultry, meat, and perishable side dishes. The key to prevention is maintaining safe temperature control throughout thawing, cooking, and storage of the meal.
Safe Turkey Thawing
Bacteria multiply rapidly in what is known as The Danger Zone, which is any temperature between 40F and 140F (4C and 60C). Raw poultry should be kept out of this range.
Refrigerator thawing requires careful planning, but it is the most reliable. Patients should be instructed to allow 1 day of thawing time for every 4 to 5 pounds of turkey. The turkey should remain in its original wrapper and be placed on a tray or in a pan on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator to prevent raw juices from contaminating other foods.
Patients should be warned not to thaw a turkey on the kitchen counter or in a sink of hot water. These methods keep the turkey's surface in the danger zone for hours while the interior remains frozen, fostering rapid bacterial growth.
Cross-Contamination Avoidance
Cross-contamination occurs when bacteria from raw poultry are transferred to other foods, utensils, or surfaces. Use separate cutting boardsone for raw meat and poultry, and another for fresh produce, bread, or cooked foods.
People should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw poultry.
Tip: Do not wash the turkey before cooking. Washing raw poultry can splash bacteria onto nearby countertops, sinks, and utensils, increasing the risk of contamination. The cooking process eliminates bacteria.
Cooking Temperature
For poultry to be safe for consumption, it should be cooked to a specific internal temperature that is high enough to destroy harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter.
165F (74C) is the minimum safe internal temperature for turkey and poultry. Temperatures should be verified using a food thermometer. The thermometer should be placed in three key areas: the innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing, and the thickest part of the breast.
Serving and Storage Safety
Once the meal is cooked, maintaining safe temperatures during serving and storage is critical for preventing the multiplication of heat-resistant bacteria.
Hot foods should be kept hot (above 140F), and cold foods should be kept cold (below 40F) to prevent the spread of bacteria. Use warming trays or slow cookers for hot dishes and ice baths or refrigeration for cold items to maintain these temperatures throughout the serving window.
Kitchen and Cooking Safety
The increase in kitchen activity, coupled with high oven and stovetop temperatures, makes Thanksgiving the peak day for house fires involving cooking equipment.
Fire Prevention and Stove Awareness
The leading cause of kitchen fires is unattended cooking. Patients should be strictly advised to remain in the kitchen or nearby area while the food is heating. If no one is in the kitchen, they should turn off all heat sources immediately.
Grease fires are highly dangerous and require specific mitigation. Water should never be used on a grease fire, as it will cause the fire to spread rapidly and violently. The correct procedure is to slide a metal lid over the pan to smother the flames and then turn off the heat source. Baking soda or a Class B fire extinguisher can also be used.
Deep-frying a turkey has become popular, but it carries extreme fire and burn risks.
Deep frying should only be conducted outdoors, several feet away from any structure, decking, or flammable materials. The turkey should be completely thawed and dry. Any ice or moisture that meets the hot oil will cause it to erupt and overflow violently.
Burn and Scald Prevention
Many Thanksgiving injuries involve preventable burns and scalds.
To prevent accidental tipping and spills of hot liquids, patients should be taught to turn all pot handles inward toward the back of the stove, out of the way of passersby and children.
A designated 3-foot Kid-Free Zone should be established around the stove, oven, and any food preparation area. Children should be taught that this boundary is firm to prevent contact with hot surfaces and spilled liquids.
Managing Stress and Chronic Conditions
The combination of cooking, hosting, traveling, and navigating family dynamics can make the holidays an intensely stressful experience, affecting both mental and physical health, including elevated blood pressure and anxiety.
Patients should be encouraged to recognize their limits and comfortably say "no" to excessive commitments or requests that compromise their well-being.
Managing Diet and Chronic Illness
Thanksgiving meals are typically high in calories, saturated fat, and sodium, posing challenges for patients managing conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
Diabetes:
Patients with diabetes should be reminded that holiday foods are often dense in hidden carbohydrates and sugars. Discussion should focus on strategic portion controlprioritizing protein and vegetables over excessive starches and sweetsand the critical importance of checking blood sugar levels more frequently than usual to manage potential spikes.
Hypertension:
High sodium intake can quickly affect blood pressure. Tips should include using herbs and spices instead of salt to enhance flavor and avoiding highly processed canned or packaged goods, which are typically high in sodium. Low-sodium broths should be selected for gravies and side dishes.
Medication Adherence:
Changes in routine due to travel or late-night celebrations should not disrupt medication schedules. Patients should be reminded to pack all necessary medications and medical devices and adhere strictly to their prescribed dosing schedule.
Your Role in Patient Safety
A safe and healthy Thanksgiving is achieved through deliberate preparation and caution. Healthcare professionals are in a unique position to influence patient behavior during the holidays. It is recommended that this information be utilized in patient education materials, discussed during pre-holiday appointments, and integrated into discharge summaries for patients going home. By reinforcing these simple yet vital preventive measures, HCPs help ensure their patients enjoy a safe, grateful, and healthy holiday celebration.
Conclusion
These three stories each illustrate a different, yet equally vital, dimension of professional excellence. The nurses and organizations featured here moved beyond the confines of their job descriptions to deliver care that is radical, deeply personal, and foundational for community health. Their actions serve as a standard for all healthcare professionals, reminding us that the definition of care is constantly evolving. We are encouraged to recognize and appreciate the nurses in our lives who embody these high standards and to look for ways to support the next generation of compassionate and dedicated caregivers.
About the Author:
Breann Kakacek, BSN, RN, has been a registered nurse since 2015 and a CNA prior to that for two years while going through the nursing program. Most of her nursing years included working in the medical ICU, cardiovascular ICU, and the OR as a circulating nurse. She has always had a passion for writing and enjoys using her nursing knowledge to create unique online content. You can learn more about her writing career and services at ghostnursewriter.com
Breann is an independent contributor to CEUfast's Nursing Blog Program. Please note that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this blog post are solely of the independent contributor and do not necessarily represent those of CEUfast. This blog post is not medical advice. Always consult with your personal healthcare provider for any health-related questions or concerns.
If you want to learn more about CEUfast's Nursing Blog Program or would like to submit a blog post for consideration, please visit https://ceufast.com/blog/submissions.
