6 Ways Hospitals Ensure Patient Safety During Treatment : Hospitals, the primary healthcare providers, are under constant pressure to meet the increasing demands of the patients. Lack of awareness about safety measures and shortage of medical staff make it difficult for hospitals to ensure patient safety.
Medical malpractice is the third leading cause of death across the United States. It can affect the overall productivity and performance of the medical setups. Fortunately, hospitals heeded patient safety and introduced policies leading to an improved and safe environment on their premises.
Here are the six ways hospitals ensure patient safety during treatment.
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Provide Patient Centric Quality Care
Hospitals that provide patient-centered care seek to ensure that their patients receive high-quality care in a safe environment. They pay attention to the patient’s concerns and address them, and encourage collaborative decision-making for treatment plans between patients and medical teams.
A patient-centric approach ensures access to healthcare services when needed, delivery of required information, and physical comfort during the hospital stay. These medical facilities motivate patients to make a smooth transition to the post-recovery phase of life with the help of follow-up visits. They implement patient-friendly visitor policies and allow family and friends to show their emotional support. Patients feel more satisfied during treatment and make a fast recovery.
At present, medical experts and policymakers consider patient-centric care critical in establishing and promoting safe spaces for patients.
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Design Purpose-Built Hospital
The building design and infrastructure of the hospitals also play a major role in shaping the patient safety experience. A typical hospital design focuses more on operational demands rather than safety compliance resulting in interconnected areas without safety equipment.
Safe hospital buildings have proper ventilation systems, including the HVAC, safety equipment such as MRI Fire Extinguishers, noise dampening tools, and infection controlling fixtures. These hospitals are built so every lobby or work area can easily access a safe exit in an emergency. In addition, hospitals also install technology-aided wiring in all areas, especially in medication and chemical storage areas, to reduce the chances of errors and improve the safe handling of drugs. Purpose-built buildings ensure patients have easy access to information and a comfortable stay in the hospital with reduced noise.
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Adopt a Health Management System
Every hospital must devise a proper health management system to guide health providers’ safety policies. According to OSHA, healthcare providers should work on developing safety guidelines and upgrading the performance of health management systems.
Taking all stakeholders on board is crucial in implementing a health management system that can meet all patient’s needs. Hospitals include doctors, nurses, managers, and administrators in decision-making to create a policy framework for staff and patients’ safety. When staff feels their concerns are listened to, they are more willing to adopt safety protocols and ensure patient safety during treatment. Conversely, healthcare administrators ask patients to fill out feedback forms to overcome the loopholes in delivering quality and safe care.
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Formulate and Revise Staffing Policies
Medical malpractice can occur as a result of a shortage of staff or improper duty scheduling. Working overtime and extended shifts can have detrimental effects on the health and productivity of healthcare providers.
When employees feel pressure to meet the inadequate staffing, they are prone to make choices that do not align with patient safety. For instance, they can administer medicine at the wrong time or overdose on the drug to the patients.
Constant workload and the need to stay alert can clog their minds, and they can perform wrong medical procedures. Make sure medical staff get enough sleep and residents stick to the 80-hour per week work limit. The best way to keep patients safe is to adopt a robust approach to staff welfare and formulate policies that support and train them.
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Enforce Safety Protocols
Having safety practices in hospitals promote welfare for both staff and patients. Proper use of safety gear such as gloves and masks while treating patients reduces the contagion of infections. Similarly, hospitals that take disinfection of spaces and equipment sterilization seriously go a long way in implementing safety protocols.
In addition, following a systematic and verified medical procedure limits the chances of medical errors and ensures high-quality service delivery. When a patient goes through several evaluations and checkups before having a definitive treatment such as surgery, there are fewer chances of medical negligence. Regardless of the type of drugs and medicines, a proper storage place is essential to stock them. Paying close attention to the expiry dates of drugs and medication allergies are important aspects of delivering safe patient care. In case of emergency of blood loss where extra blood is needed to be supplied intravenously, it should be made sure to check blood bank labels on the blood bags, so that the right blood is transfused and is within expiry date limit.
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Educate the Staff and Patients about Safety Policies
No matter what level of safety protocols hospitals have implemented, they are of no use if staff and patients remain unaware. Medical staff and patients both play a vital role in adopting and influencing safe practices in hospitals.
A written policy outlining the do’s and don’ts for healthcare staff can significantly improve patient safety at hospitals. Employers must arrange awareness sessions and training for managers and supervisors about the latest safety policies. They can pass this valuable information to their subordinates and colleagues to foster a culture of safe and healthy workplace environments.
Moreover, healthcare providers must understand the policy framework and follow the instructions to ensure patient safety. Similarly, patients must also develop a clear understanding of safety protocols while staying on the hospital premises.
Conclusion
Patient safety is not only the responsibility of the hospital staff; employers, patients, and their families also contribute a big part in implementing safe practices. Installation of safety equipment, submission of patient feedback forms, and compliance with safety standards is key to promoting safe environments.
In short, employers, healthcare staff, and patients can work together to eliminate or reduce the risk of medical errors and limit the spread of infections and harmful practices. It will create a safe hospital environment where patients feel satisfied while receiving medical care.
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