One of the vital drivers in healthcare delivery is patient safety as well as the adherence to ethical provisions. The aspect of patient safety focuses on the implementation of measures necessary for removing preventable harms to a patient during the healthcare process. On the other hand, the ethical imperative deals with the values and the principles that should be adhered to during the healthcare delivery process. The two articles being summarized focus on the scope of patient safety culture during the delivery of care and the ethical provisions that underlie healthcare delivery practices.
The first article, “Ethical issues in patient safety,” by Kangasniemi, Vaismoradi, Jasper and Turunen focuses on the ethical issues that affect patient safety. The primary argument presented by the authors is that the fundamental role of nurse managers is to incorporate ethical values necessary for patient safety (Kangasniemi, Vaismoradi, Jasper & Turunen, 2013). The authors identify two challenges that nurse managers face in their practice. One of the challenges is related to contradiction existing between individual and utilitarian safety, while the other is the context dealing with the shared responsibility as well as the recognition of future challenges (Kangasniemi, Vaismoradi, Jasper & Turunen, 2013). In spite of the challenges that the nurses face, the authors conclude that the role that nurses play in the implementation of ethical provisions that govern patient safety is strategic. While executing their role, nurse managers take note of the sensitivity of patient safety to ethics, which provides sustainable practice concerning humanity and dignity.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In their introduction, Kangasniemi, Vaismoradi, Jasper, and Turunen (2013) look into the fundamental drivers of healthcare, to which they recognize patient safety as key. In addition to ethical provisions, the authors posit that patient safety has implications in nursing management. The authors acknowledge that healthcare administrators have paid significant attention to patient safety for more than a decade. However, they indicate that a clear description of the ethical aspects that influence patient safety has not been achieved. Regardless of the lack of clarity, they call for the need for nurses to conduct research on patient safety and ethics, which is essential for enabling the nurse managers to come up with strategies that could be implemented in the improvement of patient safety during clinical practice. The authors explore the concept of shared responsibility.
Concerning the ethical imperative as applicable to patient safety, the authors argue that ethics is a derivative of the objective of healthcare systems, which focuses on the maintenance, promotion as well as the promotion of safe care to the public. The authors recognize that the foundation of the ethical imperative is legislation. In this case, developed countries follow legal provisions and international conventions to apply ethically acceptable care, leading to patient safety (Kangasniemi, Vaismoradi, Jasper & Turunen, 2013). They consequently address the issue regarding the values and principles that determine patient safety, whose origin is the operational culture observed in a healthcare facility. The operational culture takes note of different guides that include human dignity, trustworthiness and justice, doing no harm, and implementing accountability measures at the individual and organizational levels.
The other fundamental point driven by the authors is the notion that healthcare professionals and healthcare organizations are primarily responsible for implementing safety, which is an element that introduces the concept of shared responsibility. In this case, nurses do not only play an active role in ensuring patient safety, but they act as observers of the processes implemented at the organizational level. They indicate that patients are also responsible for their safety since they are participants in the care process. They should ensure their own safety and the safety of other people. Concerning the different elements covered, the authors provide that the work of nurse managers cover not only organizational management but also clinical practices necessary for the realization and promotion of ethical issues necessary for patient safety.
The second article is Oliviera’s et al. “Strategies for promoting patient safety.” The objective of the authors is to analyze the strategies needed for the promotion of patient safety. They fulfil this objective in view of the nurses that are involved with patient care directly. In their study, the authors collected data from 37 nurses. They used content analysis to analyze the information collected, consequently identifying three strategies necessary for the promotion of patient safety. The three strategies include the identification of the primary risks attached to nursing care, the incorporation of safe and evidence-based practices, as well as the assessment of the barriers and the opportunities available for providing safe care. Their assessment leads to the conclusion that implanting the culture of safety in a healthcare institution requires the active participation of nurses in shared management and the inclusion of their professionalism (Oliveira et al., 2014).
The authors introduce their study by arguing that proposals needed for promoting patient safety and quality have increased globally. These proposals are derived from senior management professionals and the staff members in a healthcare institution. The respondents took note of the barriers and the opportunities available for the promotion of patient safety, conversely identifying the practices that follow the international dissemination of WHO objectives. Through the information collected, they indicate that the goal of providing quality services should follow the optimization of results (Oliveira et al., 2014). This means that the institution of safety in healthcare organizations should follow observed the implementation of the culture of safety as well as the ethical dedication of managing possible risks.
As provided for by the researchers, the fundamental elements that should be considered in the quest for improving patient safety related to the acquisition of relevant knowledge and the characteristics of the hospital network (Oliveira et al., 2014). This follows the need to use evidence-based practices that can assist in the identification and analysis of strategies that account for the nurses' viewpoints since they are involved in patient care directly. To fulfil their objective, the researchers conducted a descriptive study, following a qualitative assessment. The framework adopted enabled the researchers to identify some of the main risks attached to nursing care, the inclusion of evidence-based practices, and the barriers and opportunities that the nurses experience when providing care for their patients. Regarding ethical consideration, the researchers were able to determine that the prevention and control of the ethical occurrences needed material investments, human investments, and the political will to implement ethically acceptable care. In this regard, the study noted that health professionals have to commit themselves ethically to the institutional objectives geared towards safety, integrity, as well as the respect for other staff members and the patients.
By emphasizing evidence-based care, the researchers indicated that healthcare professionals are continually pursuing safety measures needed to improve the quality of care. In this case, the Researchers credit healthcare professionals for using tacit knowledge, values, the experiences, and skills necessary for prioritizing patient safety. The identified elements enable them to improve the quality of care they provide to their patients, which strongly influences the decision-making processes within a healthcare facility since it assists in planning the management of care. For this reason, the researchers emphasize the need for health professionals to implement continuous efforts necessary for promoting the organizational structure, human, and the physical quality of patient safety.
References
Kangasniemi, M., Vaismoradi, M., Jasper, M., & Turunen, H. (2013). Ethical issues in patient safety. Nursing Ethics , 20(8), 904-916. doi: 10.1177/0969733013484488
Oliveira, R., Leitão, I., Silva, L., Figueiredo, S., Sampaio, R., & Gondim, M. (2014). Strategies for promoting patient safety: from the identification of the risks to the evidence-based practices. Escola Anna Nery - Revista De Enfermagem , 18(1). doi: 10.5935/1414-8145.20140018
