Patient Safety Awareness | Athulya Assisted Living

1. Patient safety awareness Every year, December 9th is celebrated as Patient Safety Day. Patient safety is not a new topic in healthcare organisations. But one must be clear about the different elements that come under patient safety, to exercise safety. Patient safety is not only for hospitals but also in other healthcare institutions and our own homes, if we receive home health care services. Yes, the word ‘patient’ need not restrict safety only to hospitals and hospices. Patient safety errors are one of the common causes of patient fatalities. Most often these errors are preventable in nature and could have been avoided with necessary precaution. Though hospitals put in place standards and measures to prevent the occurrence of these errors, to err is human. Therefore, it is important for every individual receiving healthcare services to be aware of safety aspects. This will improve the chances of avoiding health care errors. Patient safety aspects include the following: •Diagnostic errors– Errors that occur due to an incorrect diagnosis of symptoms or a mistake in the results or interpretation of test reports leading to inadvertent errors

2. •Infections– Hospital infection caused by not following prescribed standards of hygiene procedures; the guidelines must be followed by all individuals who enter and leave the hospitals including patients and family •Miscommunication– Communication errors that occur due to improper documentation and records of patient details, passing of unrelated information unintentionally, outdated patient information can all be sources of healthcare errors. •Medication– Self-medication, taking the wrong medicines, not maintaining the time, not following the prescription are some of the medication errors that can cause grave consequences to health. •Medical equipment and procedures – Syringes and needles thermometers and other devices that expose us to risk of contracting infections and diseases are normally sterilised. Sometimes, by an error of chance some individuals contract diseases. Likewise, receiving blood from blood banks or from individuals must be screened before transfusion. •Facility issues – All individuals need to be cautious of the facility issues that exist in the form of old or damages infrastructural risks. While moving about in any facility, be aware of the surroundings that could cause potential injury. The first step in reducing or eliminating any danger or threat is awareness. Be aware and spread word to others. Secure your safety by cross-checking with your healthcare professionals. But trust them, no healthcare specialists want to risk the safety of their clients. Just reaffirm with them gently to avoid patient safety errors as much as possible.