Patient Safety and Quality in Healthcare

Patient Safety and Quality

• Patient safety is defined as freedom from injury, encompassing both physical and psychological harm.
• Environmental safety considers the client's environment, including interactions with nurses and strategies to reduce injuries and illness.
• Optimizing the environment shortens hospital stays, improves functional status, and promotes staff well-being.
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs is relevant to client safety.

Safety in Health Care Organizations

• Performance improvement, risk management, and safety reports are crucial.
• Current and reliable technology is key.
• Implementing evidence-based practice and safe work environments are vital.
• Staff education for safety is essential.

Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN)

• Future nurses need knowledge, skills, and attitudes to promote safety.
• Continuous improvement minimizes risks of harm to patients and providers.
• System effectiveness and individual performance are aspects of QSEN.

Critical Thinking

• Successful critical thinking combines knowledge, experience, attitudes, and professional standards.
• Critical thinking is ongoing in patient safety, relying on standards from the American Nurses Association and The Joint Commission.
• Using the nursing process in care planning enhances safety.
• The Joint Commission's Patient Safety Goals for Hospitals are updated regularly.

Scientific Knowledge Base

• Environmental safety includes physical and psychosocial factors impacting patient life and survival.
• A safe environment protects staff and optimizes their performance.
• Basic human needs are foundational to patient safety.

Physical Hazards

• Physical hazards in the environment pose a risk of injury or death.
• Motor vehicle accidents, poisonings, falls, fire, and disasters are among the physical hazards.

Quick Quiz

• A 3-year-old child should not sit in the front seat of a car.
• Children should wear safety equipment when biking.
• Children should learn to swim even if there is no pool available.

Environmental Safety

• Pathogens and parasites pose a threat to patient safety; hygiene practices are key.
• Education about hand hygiene and immunization are vital preventive measures.
• Addressing environmental risks like pollution (air, land, water) and noise is important.

Case Study - Mr. Gonzales

• Mr. Gonzales is a 68-year-old man who lives alone in an apartment.
• He is retired from a produce warehouse and visits his son, Carlos, every week.
• This demonstrates the potential need for a home/environmental assessment.

Nursing Knowledge Base

• Factors influencing patient safety include developmental level, mobility, sensory/cognitive status, lifestyle choices, and knowledge of safety precautions.

Risks at Developmental Stages

• Risks associated with different developmental stages, including infants, toddlers, preschoolers, school-aged children, adolescents, adults, and older adults, are diverse.

Individual Risk Factors

• Aspects such as lifestyle choices, impaired mobility, sensory or communication impairment, and a lack of safety awareness influence individual risk.

Case Study - Joani Green

• A nursing student, Joani Green, is conducting health screenings as part of her clinical experience.
• Her screenings will include an assessment of Mr. Gonzales' home environment.

Risks in the Health Care Agency

• Medical errors, Joint Commission and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) "Speak Up" campaigns, National Quality Forum, and environmental risks all impact patient safety within the healthcare system.

Risk Categories in the Health Care Agency (Cont.)

• Specific risks within the health care environment include falls, patient-inherent accidents, procedure-related accidents, and equipment-related accidents.

Critical Thinking (Cont.)

• Knowledge, experience, assessment, standards, and attitudes all need to be considered when applying critical thinking to assess patient safety needs. It demands recognizing patient perceptions and needs, identifying potential threats, and understanding the interplay between all aspects.