There are numerous measures that healthcare professionals can use to enhance the safety of patients. These measures may include patients as part of the care team or may include patient-centred care strategies. Patient safety is a significant aspect of patient-centred care and is always tied on the experience and health outcomes of the patient. One of the measures that can be incorporated to improve patient safety is permitting patients to access clinician notes or EHR data (Devers, Pham and Liu, 2014). Allowing patients to access health information is an effective technique to prevent medical record misinformation. Patients who frequently look at their EHR data can easily spot inaccuracies in prescription errors which when reported can help in improving the safety of patients.
Another measure that can improve patient safety is care for the hospital environment. This can only be achieved if cleanliness is ensured in hospitals and healthcare centres (Nieva and Sorra, 2013). The staff should make sure that all areas in the hospital are clean to safeguard patients from acquiring hospital-acquired conditions. Another important measure is developing a safe patient experience (Pronovost et al. 2018). This can be achieved when healthcare professionals adhere and stay focused on procedure protocol. By so doing, they will foster quality patient experience which will consequently improve patient safety.
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As a health professional, I will create simple and timely appointment scheduling and further encourage family and caregiver engagement to my patients. To start with, the engagement of family and caregiver in the healthcare setting will support the safety of patients because more people will be added in determining inaccuracies experienced during patient care. I will further explain to both parties patient medication as well as care directions. This will ensure that patients receive the proper care that will facilitate their recovery. Besides, I will develop a simple appointment scheduling process that will ensure that patients receive care in a timely manner. Quality appointment scheduling protocol will reduce patient wait times and enable the patient to seek medication attention as fast as possible.
References
Devers, K. J., Pham, H. H., & Liu, G. (2014). What is driving hospitals’ patient-safety efforts?. Health Affairs , 23 (2), 103-115.
Pronovost, P. J., Berenholtz, S. M., Goeschel, C., Thom, I., Watson, S. R., Holzmueller, C. G., ... & Hyzy, R. (2018). Improving patient safety in intensive care units in Michigan. Journal of critical care , 23 (2), 207-221.
Nieva, V. F., & Sorra, J. (2013). Safety culture assessment: a tool for improving patient safety in healthcare organizations. BMJ Quality & Safety , 12 (suppl 2), ii17-ii23.
