patient safety

Patients Safety

Introduction

Anyone needing medical attention knows that the medical professional emergency services , hospitals , medicines and nursing home provide excellent resources for treating their ailments . This is definitely true most of the time , however once in a while , an oversight , incorrect diagnosis , infection due to lack of hygiene or even outright negligence compromises patient safety putting the life and health of patients at risk . Most of these factors could be eliminated by a variety of preventive and corrective measures , training of professional staff providing adequate facilities and financial resources [banner_entry_middle]

p This essay reviews the state of our health system to identify the problem areas and looks at the pros and cons of implementing various measures , which affect patient safety

The patient safety begins with the provision of general health care Emergency care , ambulatory care and all aspects of hospitalization and treatment and nursing during hospitalization have the potential of affecting patient safety . We propose the study of patient safety in the following areas

Provision of General Health Cover

Emergency Care

Hospital Staffing

Hospital Equipment

Making Health Care Safer

Physician and surgeons competence

Nursing Staff competence

Missed and delayed diagnosis in ambulatory care

Prevention of Hospital Acquired Infections

Safety of Medicines

Safety in diagnostic procedures

Psychiatric Patient Safety

Protecting Staff

Safety in long term care

Other Factors Electrical Safety , Environmental and House keeping Safety , Fire Prevention , Medical Gas Safety

Reasons for Studying Patient Safety

Understanding the issues related to patient safety provides the information necessary for resolving these problems . Classifying patient safety issues helps the concerned medical professional focus on the issues related to their area . The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHS ) provides a much-needed control for maintaining patient safety . JCAHS ‘ Patient Safety Event Taxonomy (PSET provides a useful classification for factors affecting patients ‘ safety PSET uses five categories for this purpose [JPS , 2006]

Impact such as medical or legal

Type e .g . communication

Domain such as setting

Cause such as system , process and structure

Prevention and Mitigation (e .g . universal or selective

The areas of concern given above have a major impact on patient safety Most of these measures are related to providing responsible medical care , correct and professional operation of hospital services and equipment . Observation of safety measures and responsible operation of equipment of equipment requires no justification . Medical professionals negligence can cause irreparable harm to those who seek their advice and trust them with their lives . The professional bodies and government authorities must ensure that irresponsible attitude or lack of proper education and training does not compromise patient safety

1 . Provision of General Health Care

United States is probably the only industrialized developed country that does not have a tax-supported universal health care system . In a developed civilized country inability to provide adequate medical care to the poor , the unemployed and underinsured has been a source of concern for many governments . President Truman ‘s attempt to introduce universal health care failed in 1955 due to serious opposition by American Medical Association and the insurance industry… [banner_entry_footer]