Question

safety in healthcare facilities . what needs to be done to keep those patients safe in healthcare facilities ( 300 words essays)

Answer 1

Both the care giver and the environment where the care is given is responsible for the safety of the patients. The patients and their families look for their safety when they seek for medical assistance. Therefore environment plays an important role in safety of the patients. Signs boards are indicating safety measures like hand washing in the bathroom, danger symbols , nurses call button, bars in bathroom and hallway, caregivers following general precautions all indicate that the hospital environment is safe or not.
The measures to be followed to keep patients safe are:
• Keep the hallway empty. Remove all equipment from public areas where the patients are exposed to. For example the patient or the nursing staff might fall due to IV poles, monitors or carts kept in the hallway.
• Remove unnecessary things from the patient’s room which will collect dust and cause infection. Properly store or remove clothing, meal trays and equipment.
• Keep the nursing station clean and clutter free. All files should be kept away from the reach of non professional personnel. Paperwork and record should be arranged properly in closed places.
• The hospital should be kept clean. Stains in carpets, curtains, unkempt bathrooms, lingering meal trays and housekeeping carts indicate that the hospital is not clean.
• Minimize noise. Increase sound in the hospital causes sleep deprivation, medication errors. Due to the sound, sound alike drugs and sound alike instructions cause errors and mistakes in practice. When the environment is quiet , unnecessary sounds, anxiety and patient stress is reduced.
By improving the environment the patient care and safety is improved. The responsibility of safety of the patients lies in the hands of all the department and each individual. From administration to the clinical and non clinical staffs to housekeeping and volunteers and patients are accountable for the patient safety.