Patient face myriad safety issues while admitted to hospitals. These issues are of great concern to nurses and other parties involved. There have been significant sentimental events occurring continuously in healthcare whose bottom line base serious arguments since no one wants a patient to be injured or hurt in any way. It has become a responsibility to nurses and other participants in hospitals to provide proper healthcare for efficient tracking of severe sentiments that can cause harm. The frequent modernisations of hospitals such as the use of safety systems and enhanced technology in clinical record keeping have substantially lowered the causes of safety to almost Zero percent to create improved patient outcomes. Clinical providers such as nursing have a great burden to provide safe care to patients in hospital because they frequently interact with them. In this paper am going to elaborate the concerns on the main issues and methodologies that can be applied to increase patient’s safety in hospitals.
First, there has been frequent healthcare associated infections that get transferred from one patient to the other. According to medical researchers, at least five percent of the patients in hospitals will suffer health care associated infections. There often exist multidrug –resistant health infections. Therefore, such cases raise an alarm and together we must provide improved methods of patient care and administer antibiotics where the infection is pronounced to avoid it from spreading. Infectious diseases such as urinary tract infections associated with catheters are the most common and recent hazard facing patients in hospitals. Records from medical researchers have affirmed that patients often lack evidence-based insertion criteria decisions. Evidence should be supported to derive evidence-based clinical decisions and delivery of safe health care to patients. Use of electronic devices and electronic health record keeping will actually help in providing evidence-based practices to maintain sustainable health. Most guidelines address the prevention and safe care of patients to control urinary tract infections. With the rise of technology and evidence based, research have facilitated management of health in hospitals. “One of the significant, evidence-based, conceptual changes has been to minimize both the initiation and the duration of urinary catheter use.moreover, one of the significant, factual, conceptual changes in the revised guidelines has been to reduce both the initiation and the duration of urinary catheter use, in contrast to a continued focus on prevention through use of recommended techniques of catheterization and care”( Curtis 2004, pg. 29).
Another issue is the use of surgically complicated objects that are foreign. Objects used in Surgery contain elements such as rubber and latex, which are hazardous to patients. Surgical team should, therefore, be concerned with such an issue. Materials such as those used in making catheters that are hospital instruments are hazardous to health. For example, when catheters are used in to create an opening for drug delivery into the patient’s they leave behind harmful effects to him or her. Typical Catheters are made of silicones, latex rubber, and polyvinyl chloride. Latex for example cause contains a protein that causes allergic reactions to the patient and alarms for creation of latex allergy patient rooms in the hospital. Latex is widely used in homes and hospitals. For example, the use of rubber to prevent HIV can be the risked. “Latex gloves and condoms sharply increased in the 1980s. This increased usage coincided with increased reports of latex allergies, especially among healthcare workers. The prevalence of latex allergies among medical professionals (Curtis, 2004, pg.30)”. Increased use of technology has facilitated tracking of foreign objects in the body of operated patients. However, much intention should be paid to patients with high body indexes, which may be a potential complication.
Polyvinyl chloride materials used in hospitals cause several severe problems that alarm for patient safety in hospitals. PVC cause inflammation reactions when applied to the patients. “PVC plasticizer DEHP (di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate) that is used in numerous medical devices including catheters, blood bags, and extracorporeal tubing. Exposure to DEHP had produced a range of adverse effects in laboratory (Curtis, 2004, pg.3) “catheters produced from materials such as silicones cause allergy, phlebitis, and sepsis. Insertion of catheters should be with great care to reduce potential bacterial infection and premature defamation of the balloon.
Poor handoff information in communication is yet another issue that cause alarm in maintaining safety for patients. In this cause, there have been frequent malpractice. Safety structures should be laid out to improve data collection and emphasize in safety cultures in work places as well as the good doctor –patient relationships. According to most recent researches, standardized way of conveying information between clinicians has been facilitated by creation of safety culture investments in hospitals. Therefore, this has made clinicians focus and interpreted quickly what patients’ needs are and what time they require treatments.
Improper diagnosis is yet another issue to patients. Unexperienced clinical officers or doctors causing harm treat sometimes patients. Some professional fail to recognize contagious diseases failing to rescue patients. Patients such as those having sepsis and heart attack are on high risk concerning rescue missions in hospitals. For instance, sepsis may cause sudden death if it is not diagnosed well and in earlier stages. The use of technology in information gathering and storing data has helped patients since many clinicians and doctors can tress disease easily improving diagnostic methodologies.
Patients often are faced with a problem of medication errors. To some extent, patients get challenges while leaving hospitals and if their medicine are not prescribed well; this may cause severe effects or even worsening the health status of the patient. Due to rise in technology in informatics nursing, clinicians have no worry on errors that frequently occurred since machines can test and prescribe medicines accurately to patients.
Electronic records have posed significant challenges in hospitals since majority of the clinicians lack sufficient experiences on the use of such technology or. An analysis from NICE has affirmed that there is necessary need to have cooperation in hospitals to increase safety to patients through provision of safer health systems. Data sharing should be enhanced to reduce errors in operation.
Large number of patients staying in hospitals has caused congestion inwards and lowered the standard of services received since they overburden few nurses. Sometimes baby boomers and patients with mobility problems have caused health care problems in hospitals. In such occasions, patients with chronic illness may be forgotten since more times are allocated to baby-boomers and immobile patients.Fatigue is yet another issue that raise alarm to patient as and clinicians in hospitals. Patients often get tired as they are not attended in time.
Patients often create safety issues that are simple to treat. To select a method that to administer is yet another issue that alarms for safety in the hospitals. Patients, therefore, require to be safely treated, and unnecessary therapies should be removed from the execution process. Realigning on which safety expectation required of the patients yet another issue. For example, patients who require blood transfusion need better protection and best treatment choices to reduce potential harm.
Safety Practices
One of the most powerful safety practice is that of increasing awareness on matching of health care needs and its service deliveries. Hence, this will facilitate safe surgical procedures and inform patients of the likelihood of risks. Nurses should often be well trained and demonstrate best patient outcomes. NICE or other legal bodies to ensure best practices are observed should often regulate the nursing practices. In clinical recording keeping and systematic reviews, a nurse should often ensure that the protocols are followed, and patients attended with great care.
While conveying a message, they should prescribe for medical purposes and ensure that the prescribers stand a position to give clear instructions. The clinicians should provide that care information is changes in orders. Informatics should diagnose information before giving. Nurses should ask patients to remember what he or she has been told. Good practices should often create good medical used and standardize labelling. Patients undergoing surgery should be evaluated most often and record keeping should be up to date as well as evidence-based.
Clinical Management
Health care agencies should provide clinical management and well laid protocols to manage data as well as manage patients. Clinicians should also provide data that is evidence-based and deliver the best information for primary health care management. A good system of managing health should include accuracy, clinical levering of reports, improving and conducting a systematic review to substantiate best patient outcomes. Clinicians should also carry out emergency healthcare services. Clinicians should keep records the most appropriate way to facilitate an evidence-based approach. Such method includes computers and follow-up activities to patients. Therefore, this will drastically increase patient safety.
Quality Health Improvement
Clinicians often strive systematically to make changes that will necessitate better outcome, and strong systems of care. Thus, this has enhanced professionalism and sustainable development in health care systems. Nurses always have engaged teamwork to facilitate continuous efforts to ethical and professional health care services. Researchers and planners have often collaborated with patients to improve and sustain health in hospitals. Hospitals have improvised methodologies in improving quality of health care in hospitals through use of scientific technology, methodologies and tools to put in place a system that can enable ideas to be tested. Qualities improvement initiatives have often included strong leadership programs and supportive cultures. In attributing quality and improved healthcare, clinicians should make sure that patients get right healthcare. The nature of health care given should also base on technology and scientific as well. The patients should not see any harm nor mistakes when receiving care. Health providers are supposed to be patient-centred so as to offer services of the same quality and continuously look for ways to decrease wastes of information and ideas. Lastly health systems should be organized and interconnected to work together so as tie initiate high and standardized quality. Therefore, health systems should have enough facilities and professionals to curb any harm to patients (Yong,2010).
Nursing Research Informatics
Nursing researchers often incorporate and integrate information to manage health care information’s and communication using specified means such as technologies. Nurse informatics will research, educate and as well communicate the information to the nursing officer in charge of the chief nursing officer. This study will clearly indicate the roles and areas clinical personnel work, to keep the patient improving health care to the society as a whole. From the studies, nurse informatics will evaluate and analyse all possible and available standards of health care while supporting it with an evidence based research. An informatics is responsible for interpreting national health statistics and as well, as patient information records. As a researcher, he is responsible for disseminating data and safety practices in hospitals and present the information in a manner that supports patients’ health care to initiate safety. A nurse informatics will use information and safety technologies to communicate and address professionalism so as all the nursing professional flow is ensured across patient support units. An informatics nurse will design and implement informational technologies and healthcare policies in public hospitals (Yong,2010).
Nurse informatics can provide evidence-based quality services due to his expertise. In this, they can form questions about research, gather all the available evidences and assess the available evidences as well as making clinical decisions. Evidenced –based practice, therefore, maps all the intended work to give clinicians tools to guide in engaging on evidence –based decision-making criteria.
Major Technologies Assist in Managing Chronic Diseases.
A variety of technologies that aid in the prevention of acute diseases. Technologies enable physicians to communicate with nurses both at home and hospitals without having extended physical out care. Due to lack of sufficient evidences in hospitals, patients look for safety in hospitals. Technologies such as Phone DOCTORS assist patients to have access to information regarding management and self-treatment of their diseases. A mother good example of a technological tool is home tele health, which facilitates to take more and active roles in addressing acute diseases with extra cost and healthcare systems. Others such as Borsch’s health Buddy and the station patients transmit useful health data for patients with such disease aiding them to control and manage them effectively. In such a case physicals provide data to patients without appearing on the face to face (Koutkias, 2011).
Telemedicine is another modern technology that is used in both homes and hospitals to provide necessary healthcare to patients with chronic diseases. The present tele stroke care provides moral support and techniques for managing strike. Stroke is a severe disease that has caused many deaths and hence. Mobile clinics are yet another technological advancement in medicine that provides patients with information on disease management. Health villages NaviNet, and pharmacology mobile used in android and other smartphones provide a necessary support to patients enabling them to manage their diseases well (McBride, 2011).
Clinical decision-making process have been facilitated by mobilizing of evidence-based clinical practices. These technologies have assisted in preventing extra costs of going o hospital to be admitted. Virtual hospitals also have reduced frequent hospital visits. People can nowadays visit websites to get information concerning prevention, and treating severe ailments (Borycki, 2011).
Organizational Safety
Recent researches have indicated organization safety has been influenced by factors such as work behaviours. Hospital –based health care studies have suggested that workers perceiving the strength of their organizations advocated and committed to issues of safety than those who do not. Safety culture in man organization is one of the contributing cures to peaceful and sustainable health working environment. Noncompliance healthcare workers are the centres of spread of fictitious diseases. Safety culture in any organization will lead to a good performance and care. Organizations such as hospitals have increased safer working conditions to an advocate for safety standards of attending patients as well as sustainable health care environment (Aspeden, 2004).
Programs that control diseases help people to have real knowledge on fixing workplace issues before they occur. Activities that assist in achieving organizational safer working environment include. Improved action management to both patient and worker, participation of safety working with a worker. Accepting best-working processes and group norms, as well as organizational social practices, are other new forms of safety in a working environment (Aspeden, 2004).
Literature Research on Best Practices
A researcher should first identify research tool and applicable methodologies to be used in the study question posed. In the first sections, the methodology should include all the main types of emergencies and reviews to be conducted. This is followed by emotional impacts on various primary agents demanding emergency. One should also meet people to discuss on the main issues and proposed for a timeline for implementing the study or review in question. The fourth stage is to address particular mode of services and common challenges that the researcher is likely to face while in the field .there should be recommendations. For example, research on best practices in hospital will entail a research revisiting he hospital o have narrow information of which he or she will narrow frown to form conclusions and on the problem of study. Recommendations made by the best practices include; the hospital should use evidence- based methodologies in reviewing patina information, employ qualified clinical nurses to reinforce standardized practices as illustrated in by NICE and attend patients with healthcare to initiate safety (Sherwood 2012)
"By nature, therefore, hospitals have often focused on patient care and security, so as to improve good healthcare services. According to Curtis, (2004), founders of Patient Safety Movements Foundation. "Unfortunately, the fact remains that preventable patient deaths in hospitals around the world continue to rise. What we are finding is that clinicians and others in the healthcare community are no longer willing to accept the fact that medical errors are part of practicing medicine. Improvement is about creating a culture of safety within the organization, making measurable commitments, creating solutions and sharing success,” The forms of safer health care is, therefore, systematic and faces downs and ups. More efforts have been initiated to improve standards of quality and clinical practices in hospitals.
Conclusion
Patients, therefore, should be handled with great care. Moreover, safety patient care. The Institute of Medicine (2001), proposed EHR to initiate active forms of safety (Sherwood 2012).Safer health for patients, therefore, should be encouraged and treated to avoid any harm. Hospitals and worker should adopt to use a modern tool of information system management and safer record keeping. Evidence evaluation should be encouraged and nurses to work together reducing errors in decision-making. States should formulate bodies to govern nurses and standardise their practices. Technology should be applied to keep records.
References
Aspden, P. (2004). Patient safety achieving a new standard for care. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press
Borycki, E. (2011). International perspectives in health informatics. Amsterdam: Ios Press.
Curtis, C., & Fegley, A. (2009). Psychiatric mental health nursing success: A course review applying critical thinking to test taking. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis.
Koutkias, V. (2011). Patient safety informatics adverse drug events, human factors, and IT tools for patient medication safety. Amsterdam: IOS Press.
Mcbride, S. (2015). Nursing informatics for the advanced practice nurse: Patient safety, quality, outcomes, and interprofessionalism. S.l.: Springer
Sherwood, G. (2012). Quality and safety in nursing: A competency approach to improving outcomes. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Yong, P. (2010). Value in health care accounting for cost, quality, safety, outcomes, and innovation: Workshop summary. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.
