5 Factors to Improve Hospital Patient Safety

As part of an effective healthcare system that has an immediate and positive effect on patients daily, you are proud to be part of something that impacts others’ well-being daily. Your daily work directly contributes to their well-being; patient safety initiatives become important since it influences others. Isn’t this why medical care exists in the first place?

Yes, but not as simple. As medical communities evolve and change over time, opportunities to enhance patient safety may arise; sometimes, safety measures to safeguard patients fall through the cracks as hospitals grow larger and become busier. Today, healthcare workers know how important patient safety is by meeting all their needs and fulfilling the expectations of healthcare professionals.

Gain more information from licensed practical nursing programs about the definition of patient safety and factors to protect patients in your facility.

What is The Definition of Patient Safety?

Infections and medical mistakes pose a grave danger to hospitals. Studies conducted by experts reveal that medical errors could be one of the three leading causes of mortality in America today. Sometimes it can be comforting to know that mistakes can be prevented or corrected with proper safeguards. When we speak about patient safety, we mean reducing risks related to errors, infections, or injuries.

Health can be compromised when hospital procedures fail to work as planned; that’s why the patient safety Initiative exists. Patient safety initiatives are ongoing efforts undertaken by various healthcare facilities and associations to implement procedures within hospitals that improve patient protection while training staff to protect patients against potential errors and reduce overall errors. Unfortunately, patient safety can often be complex to achieve successfully, yet several factors can assist in a nursing degree program.

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Five Factors That Can Improve Patient Safety At Hospitals

Hospital staff all play an integral part in keeping patients safe. Each healthcare worker in an institution plays their part in keeping patients secure; learn what you can do as a healthcare provider to keep patients secure with these factors in the nursing field:

1. Monitor Technology

Healthcare workers have the responsibility of caring for multiple patients throughout their shifts. Each has specific requirements and medication that must be administered accordingly, so monitoring technology helps nurses and doctors ensure that they always adhere to correct procedures while meeting each person’s unique requirements. Experts and healthcare providers say many hospitals already use technology to enhance care to patients, and monitor systems are an ideal way of avoiding harm due to human errors in hospitals; to know more, you can also search licensed practical nurse programs near me.

2. Make Sure That Patients Are Aware of Their Treatment

Make sure patients understand treatment while healthcare providers bear much responsibility for patient safety. While full knowledge may not always be necessary for a patient’s well-being and safety, even basic understanding can prove valuable when combined with safety initiatives that encourage recall of information being told regularly by asking patients to repeat and recall information given to them by healthcare staff. You can help ensure they avoid mistakes in their care by making sure that they understand their treatment plan, medications, and medical procedures.

3. Verify All Medical Procedures

We have all heard stories of people scheduled for left knee replacement but received right knee replacement instead due to improper hospital verification procedures. Regularly verifying hospital procedures can help avoid such costly miscalculations and mistakes from occurring. Verification can be seen in action through the universal protocol, which helps avoid surgical mistakes by permitting any team member to pause to review details in nursing schools.

4. Handwashing is Important

Small actions can have an outsized impact in terms of patient safety. According to experts, handwashing can help to prevent infection in hospitals as one effective measure against spreading germs. Clean hands count, an initiative of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), encourages healthcare providers to use alcohol-based sanitizers regularly and openly discuss hand hygiene with their patients. Patients can take control of their health by asking healthcare providers whether or not their hands have been washed when entering rooms in the nursing profession.

5. Teamwork is Important

Every hospital staff member plays an essential part in upholding patient safety. Open communication among staff regarding their duties to do just this can make an enormous impactful statement about its commitment to error prevention. Sands asserts that nurses and other hospital personnel in direct patient contact “know the issues but feel powerless and underappreciated, ” leading them to hesitate before speaking up about patient safety concerns or taking necessary action.

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You Are Responsible For Patient Safety

Staff plays an essential role in patient safety and basic patient care by taking small daily steps that contribute to its enhancement. Once they know more about what factors influence patient protection, staff will become interested in exploring these elements further in practical nurse school for nursing education.