Policy of choice: Patient Safety
The provision of healthcare services is a complex responsibility that the professionals in healthcare risk management must never take lightly. Hospital regulations and accreditation standards make the safety requires complex and inevitable (PSQH, 2014). With formal procedures and policies, it is possible to promote and encourage compliance with regulation and high safety standards in the workplace. These policies also make quality healthcare and patient safety easier to deliver. Well articulate policies will alleviate variability in nursing practice that is likely to lead to compromises in care and eventual harm to the patient. The financial situations that require more attention for patient care may make it difficult to continuously review procedures and policies. Failure to update and develop policy can cause negative consequences for the patients (PSQH, 2014).
Patient safety policy is significant for the fulfillment of several professional requirements including:
· Adherence with the set professional practice standards
· promotion of compliance to the accreditation requirements, statutes and regulations
· Minimizing variations in nursing practice
· Standardization of practice in all the healthcare system entities
· Fundamental resource for new nursing staff
· Enhanced certainty, therefore, alleviating the need to rely on memory when faced with many tasks. When nurses are overburdened with obligations this can cause major errors and medical mistakes that will harm the patient (PSQH, 2014).
The patient safety policy demonstrates the significance of procedures and policies in the safety of the healthcare system.
The nurse has an ethical and professional duty to help minimize potential harm for patients. Previously detrimental mistakes were only seen as unsafe acts, adverse events or errors. In nursing practice today, these adverse events are referred to as threats that risk harming the patient (Canadian Nurses Association,...
The nurses form a fundamental part of the process of enhancing patient safety. Inter-professional groups, healthcare systems and the healthcare institution in general also play a significant role in promoting patient safety (Canadian Nurses Association, 2018).
Quality healthcare and safety in patient care can only be achieved through the following:
· Healthcare centered on the patient
· Sharing of medical information
· Activities geared towards patient safety in the hospital
· Detecting any potential threats before they occur
· Using the human factor in the approach of patient safety
· Full disclosure of any adverse events and in good time
· Advocacy for patients
· Information and sensitization on patient safety.
· Training and education on patient safety
· Building a culture that is safe and just
· Availing manual on patient safety and continuously updating the safety manual
· Full disclosure of the hospital policy on patient safety (Osaka University Hospital, n.d.)
The patient safety policy has made it possible for healthcare institutions to alleviate detrimental medical errors that could harm the patient or lead to loss of life. Due to the strictness of patient safety procedures and policies nurses are able to manage complex situations better. This has fundamentally reduced the cost of administering healthcare procedures, improved quality of care and enhanced access to healthcare. With standard safety standards that guide every medical procedure healthcare is delivered more efficiently and effectively, therefore, improving the quality of care (The Leapfrog Group, 2018). According to Tingle and Bark (2013) the patient safety police has had tremendous effect on the way health care is delivered. Data from The Leapfrog Group (2018) show that around 440,000 patients die annually from hospital accidents, injuries, errors and infections. Further…
