The Institute of Medicine (2001) highlighted that the U.S. health care system harms patients and frequently fail to deliver the potential benefits expected. In this regards, the issue of “culture of safety” is central in most health care institutions including the correctional facilities. Specter (2006) noted that hundreds of prisoners die due to medical neglect, brutality, and suicide stressing the need for safety of the patients in the correctional institutions. In my working station, the nurse leader is the leading promoter of patient safety during medical processes. The nurse manager has the responsibility to communicate evidence-based changes needed to the rest of the workers. Besides, the leader advocates for a strict following of the laws and rules that promote safety in the institution. Safety aspects of any system are collaborative because all stakeholders, such as the physicians, nurses, community, and individual patients have an essential role to play. Therefore, the leader is critical in ensuring that there is unity towards achieving the best outcomes.
As a BSN prepared nurse, I can promote safety strategies by being a competent team player or leader. As noted above, safety matters are collaborative and, therefore, being a responsible team player or leader would determine the outcome of the proposed patient protection strategies. At the same time, it is the role of the BSN-prepared nurse to abide by the risk factors listed by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses because they apply in most cases. Analyzing the potential for harm, patient stability, complexity, innovations needed to handle the matter, unpredictability of anticipated outcomes, and interaction levels required can reduce chances of harming the patients (Ballard, 2003). These suggestions work best alongside effective time-management, improved efficiency, and equitable patient-centered service that all nurses ought to adopt. Moreover, a BSN-prepared nurse needs to be a life-long learner because the dynamism in the health care system that necessitates adoption of new strategies. All these suggestion require one to apply proper judgment, ethical considerations, transparency, employ due diligence and upholding professionalism all the time.
References
Ballard, A. K. (2003). Patient Safety: A Shared Responsibility. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Retrieved on June 9, 2016 from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/ OJIN/TableofContents/Volume82003/No3Sept2003/PatientSafety.html
Specter, D. (2006). Making Prisons Safe: Strategies for Reducing Violence. 22 Wash. U. J. L. & Pol’y125. Retrieved on June 9, 2016 from http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1348&context=law_journal _law_policy
