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]
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