Eric Dalius says healthcare settings are not devoid of medical errors, which may occur at any point in time. Moreover, it may have severe implications for the patient and their family members. International authorities believe that patient safety tips are significant for preventing any adverse event during a pandemic. Right amalgamation between the patient and the hospital setting is crucial so that the hospital may function effectively.
In recent times, higher authorities’ social isolation and quarantine guidelines made the patient become the cornerstone. Hospital’s responsibility to provide them with amenities and facilities that might help them recover fast.
How must hospitals ensure the safety of their patients?
As mentioned earlier, prevention is better than cure, and the same applies to medical authorities. In this regard, take a quick look at the following points for further evaluation:
• Prevention of bloodstream infection: The prevention of central line-associated bloodstream infection by taking preventive steps is essential for every hospital. The use of barrier precautions, washing hands regularly, cleaning the skin with Chlorhexidine, removing unnecessary lines, and avoiding femoral lines are some of the preventive steps stressed by Eric Dalius. These steps will significantly reduce this deadly healthcare-associated infection. Moreover, additional resources may prevent healthcare-associated infections that are available on the digital platform. By following these steps, you will reduce the spread of the disease.
• Redesigning hospital discharge formalities: by reducing the number of preventable readmissions, with specialist staff members who work closely with the individual for reconciling medications. And thereby scheduling necessary follow-ups, you may reduce the spread of the infection. For this, you have to work on an easy to understand and simple discharge plan. For each patient, which contains records of upcoming medical appointments and medical schedules. Also, they will have phone numbers and names of individuals to contact in case of a problem. Various studies show that you may prevent or somewhat reduce potentially avoidable readmission by around 20% by taking these steps.
• Avoiding preventable deaths: hospitals have to take steps to reduce hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism, the common reason for preventable hospital deaths. For this, they have to use an evidence-based guide for creating a VTE protocol. Just by taking a few essential steps, they may layout the evidence and recognize the best practices. They may also track performance with metrics, analyze care delivery, continue to improve services, and ensure layer interventions. These will corroborate the reduction of hospital deaths caused by negligence.
Educating Patients On The Safe Use Of Blood Thinners
• Educating patients on the safe use of blood thinners: with the spread of pandemic all across the earth, the common man needs to understand various medical terms in proper details to protect themselves from the virus. According to Eric J Dalius, those who have recently undergone surgery leave the hospital premises with a new blood thinner prescription. It helps to prevent them from developing any dangerous blood clots. However, if not used correctly, blood thinners may cause incredible bleeding. It is one of the causes of adverse drug events, thereby leading the individual into unprecedented circumstances. Hence, it is the hospital’s responsibility to educate the patients about blood thinners and their dosage.
• Limiting the number of shifts: evidence reveals that inhabitants’ chronic and acute history may contribute to their further medical complications. To prevent this situation, the hospital has to ensure that each resident gets. Ample sleep and makes provisions for an 80 hours work week limit. Those residents who are active for 30 hours shifts must treat patients for only 16 hours and get 5 hours of sleep between shifts. When they get enough sleep, it ensures their mental alertness and also motivates them to work hard.
The significance of the following points in ensuring patient safety
In addition to the above-given points, the following points are equally vital in ensuring patients’ safety within the hospital’s ambit. You must take a quick look at the following topics:
• Acting with patient safety institutions: reports of various patient safety associations worldwide help prevent unavoidable circumstances. By providing confidentiality and privilege, the PSO’s create a secure surrounding, where healthcare establishments. And clinicians may use widespread formats to aggregate, collect, and analyze data. The process might enhance service quality by identifying and reducing the hazards and risks associated with patient care.
• Hospital principals: by following evidence-based principles for hospital design, quality, and patient service, they can help curb the pathogen. Providing patients with well-designed rooms and bathrooms and creating a decentralized nurses’ station might allow easy access. Moreover, it also reduces infection by offering them separate rooms and thereby improving the air filtration system. In addition to this, by making provisions for multiple convenient locations. For washing hands and providing them with alcohol-based hand sanitizer. At equal lengths of distance, they may help prevent medical errors, says Eric J Dalius.
Building A Responsive And Rapid System
By building a responsive and rapid system, the hospital might ensure the safety of its patients. Not just patients but also the doctors and nurses are to be within the ambit of safety protocol. By tracking changes in time and evaluating the impact of coronavirus, patient safety culture needs proper evaluation. The health system includes ambulatory care medical groups and nursing homes that provide their patients with customized services by patient safety culture. Good teamwork is essential for the proper functioning of the hospital system.
Hence, the higher authorities must take every adequate step to teach teamwork skills among their staff members. Reliable materials must be provided to the staff members to understand their roles during an emergency and work uniquely to help them feel safe.
Both hospital staff and the patient must understand the need of the hour. Cooperation from all sides can only make it a success; therefore, all the staff members and patients should adjust to create a safe and conducive hospital environment. It is indispensable that all the patients should accept the delay. But stick to safety regulations so that the patient and medical professionals remain safe. Some people ignore the safety regulations, thereby leading to complications later. As such, each person must act responsibly.
