Patients are at the forefront of the healthcare industry, and therefore your focus should revolve around improving patient safety in hospitals. No matter who the patient is or where they came from, their care is your main priority, and they deserve your full potential. Simple solutions can be made for successful patient outcomes.
Limit Shift Durations
This sounds counter-intuitive, but medical residents and other hospital staff can experience burnout if they work too long. When a worker has burnout, patient care is no longer at the top of the list of concerns. Residents can become reckless and make mistakes that could have been prevented had they been given time off to rest. Other minor errors, like preventing needle sticks, can be overcome if the employee rested between shifts.
Have a Verification Process
Often, overlooking little errors can tumble into more significant mistakes that cost the hospital precious time and money. Have a process in place that all hospital personnel can follow throughout the course of treatment for the patient. Verify all procedures, body parts, symptoms, etc., to get the full picture before proceeding in care.
Make a Safe Space
Your job is to listen to the patient’s concerns and problem-solve for a solution. Not every patient you encounter will be of the same ethnicity, gender, age, etc. That is why you need to be inclusive and rule out all variables before deciding what is best for the patient. If patients feel unsafe or unseen in a hospital, their treatment will not be effective, and the help they deserve will not be up to par.
Allow Patients Access to Clinician Notes
If you are not a healthcare professional, some of the jargon we use can be difficult to comprehend for patients. Explain thoroughly the steps patients need to take once they return home from the hospital. Give them access to their EHR data or clinical notes so they can refer to them when they are alone in their home.
Utilize these tips to improve hospital patient safety to avoid common, fixable mistakes. If you want your hospital to promote inclusivity, safety, and quality care, then implementing these tips will give you the proper steps to get your staff to where they need to be. Not everything can change at once, but small altercations to procedures can make a huge difference.
Christina Duron is a writer living in the Chicagoland area. Her passion for writing and health helps create thought-provoking and engaging pieces and hopes to use them to empower readers to play a more active role in their personal healthcare journey.
