Week 4 Discussion Questions: Patient Safety Issues and Measures to Deliver Safe Healthcare Services
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Week 1 Assignment: Elements of a Risk Management Program
Week 2 Assignment: Risk Management Assessment
Week 4 Assignment: Organizational Risk Management Interview
Response to each question is approximately 250-500 words with 1 or 2 references
Week 4 Discussion Question 1:
The Joint Commission introduced the National Patient Safety Goals to address patient safety issues within health care organizations. Determine three patient safety issues that are being addressed by your health care organization. Identify the actions the organization is taking or identify three issues that you think need to be addressed by health care organizations. Make suggestion for actions to be taken. Support your responses with two peer-reviewed references.
Week 4 Discussion Question 2:
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), and The Joint Commission (TJC) have identified the necessity for health care organizations to have a risk management program to address infection control. Detail three measures that your health care organization (or any health care organization) needs to address in the delivery of safe health care services. (Example: Placing handwashing devices at all of the public entrances of the health care facility). Support your response with two peer-reviewed references.
Solution
Patient Safety Issues
There are numerous patient safety issues that every health care organization must address to guarantee efficient and quality health care. In the U.S., the introduction of the National Patient Safety Goals works on improving patient safety and the quality of care. In my organization, for instance, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment protocol, and healthcare-acquired conditions are the three key patient safety issues that the organization works on relentlessly to improve patient safety and care. The adamancy of healthcare-acquired conditions in different facilities continues to influence the clinical and financial processes of the organizations. In recognition of the impact of these conditions, the organization employs various techniques such as the promotion of hand hygiene, availing protective equipment, efficient data and information systems, adherence to evidence-based care, and effective surveillance systems (Krein, Kowalski, Hofer, & Saint, 2012). Moreover, the organization has implemented strategies to promote hand cleaning/hygiene and the use of protective paraphernalia as patient safety issues.
The organization implements the CDC hand hygiene guidelines to ensure improved patient and staff safety. In accordance with the guidelines, healthcare providers, patients, and visitors practice hand hygiene at key points in time to alleviate infections. For instance, healthcare providers practice hand hygiene before patient contact, after contact with body fluids, and contaminated surfaces, before surgical and other care procedures, and after the removal of gloves and safety equipment (CDC, 2014). Moreover, visitors are advised to practice hand hygiene before and after interacting with patients while patients clean their hands before leaving their rooms. Additionally, the organization ensures correct patient identification, efficient staff communication, safe use of medication, reduction of HACs, prevention from falls, and the reduction of harm associated with clinical systems (The Joint Commission, 2016). Improved efficiency in the processes requires effective implementation of the surveillance systems, efficient data and information systems, and the promotion of quality care provision.
Infection Control
In the quest to deliver safe health care services, the organization has implemented different measures integrated deeply in its risk management program. The measures focus on addressing infection control in accordance with the guidelines set by the OSHA, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), and the Joint Commission (TJC). The organization monitors, measures, and evaluates all care processes to ascertain quality and patient-centered care. For instance, in the promotion of safe and quality care, the organization implements a hand cleaning and hygiene program, and other programs that prevent infection, mistakes in surgery, and promotes the safe use of medicine (The Joint Commission, 2016). The hand cleaning and hygiene program involves the installation of handwashing devices at the public entrances, inside and outside care rooms, outside washrooms and in different and easily accessible points within the facility. Additionally, the organization has created posters on hand cleaning that give patients, staff, and visitors guidelines on how to wash and rub hands to avoid infections.
According
to Bender, et al. (2015), the delivery of
safe and quality health care services demands the integration of different
programs that target the prevention of infection, promotion of safe use of
medicines, and the prevention of mistakes during surgical procedures. Apart
from hand cleaning, the organization promotes other infection prevention
measures such as surveillance, avails protective equipment during the delivery
of care, and continues to strengthen its data and information system to ensure the
correct identification of patients, effective monitoring, and evaluation of
care systems and processes. Moreover, the organization makes sure that the
correct surgery is done at the correct place of the correct patient’s body. Certainty
in the process is maintained through the efficient data and information system.
Also, follow-up programs and surveillance ascertain the safe use of medicine
and make sure that patients receiving critical care are transferred immediately
after surgery or medical attention to prevent HACs (Hawes, 2014).
References
Bender, J. M., Virgallito, M., Newland, J. G., Sammons, J. S., Thorell, E. A., Coffin, S. E., & Hersh, A. L. (2015). Infection Prevention and Control Practices in Children’s Hospitals. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology 36 (5), 597-600.
CDC. (2014, May 1). Hand Hygiene Basics. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/Basics.html
Hawes, R. (2014). Ensuring quality of care is safe. Nursing & Residential Care 16 (11), 653-653.
Krein, S. L., Kowalski, C. P., Hofer, T. P., & Saint, S. (2012). Preventing hospital-acquired infections: a national survey of practices reported by U.S. hospitals in 2005 and 2009. Journal of General Internal Medicine 27 (7), 773-779. doi:10.1007/s11606-011-1935-y
The Joint Commission. (2016). 2016 National Patient Safety Goals. Retrieved from The Joint Commission – National Patient Safety Goals: http://www.jointcommission.org/standards_information/npsgs.aspx