Do you know?
In high-income countries, it is estimated that 1 in every 10 patients is harmed while receiving hospital care. The reason behind this harm is due to a range of adverse effects, where almost 50% of them are preventable. Among the errors, the most detrimental ones are related to diagnosis, prescription and the use of medicines, which may result in possible harm to patients.
What is Patient Safety?
Patient safety is a healthcare discipline which aims to prevent and reduce risks, errors and harms that occur to patients during their healthcare journey. Healthcare providers are aligned in wanting to deliver health services that are effective, safe and people-centered.
How can Patient Safety Strategies be implemented?
Patient safety is never the responsibility of solely healthcare professionals, it also includes the policy makers, the clinics and pharmacies and even more importantly, the patients themselves!
Clear policies should be drafted to protect the rights of patients with suitable leaders to take up the lead to enforce this and see it through. We would need enough data to drive safety improvements and to avoid possible mistakes from a system level.
At the same time, we would need skilled health care professionals who are able to monitor the conditions of patients and be meticulous when diagnosing, prescribing and using the medicines. For example, healthcare professionals should always check the name of the patient, their medical conditions and allergies, and for the medications, the drug name, dose, route, frequency and duration prescribed. Lastly, healthcare providers should provide sufficient guidance to patients so they can be empowered to take charge of their health.
How is error minimized?
In a healthcare setting, error can be minimized by:
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Ensuring standard procedures for storage of medications that look alike
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Good communication between the different healthcare providers
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Verification before medication administration
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Involvement of patients in their own care
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Establish systems in workplace and align safety values, beliefs and attitudes within the team
In summary, patient safety is a collaborative effort of different parties which is crucial to prevent any adverse effects or complications that arise due to the medical error. Last but not least, Happy World Patient Safety Day 2021!
References
World Health Organization. (2021). World Patient Safety Day 2021. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2021/09/17/default-calendar/world-patient-safety-day-2021
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