Clinical

1. Clinical Standards and Safety

2. Standards of Care • A business has the responsibility to provide good service to its clients • Physician provides a service to client • Clients of a physician or health care facility have a reasonable expectation that standards of care and service will be met

3. Standards in Health Care • What standards exist in health care? • Prompt treatment • Prompt preparation and evaluation of diagnostic reports • Accurate prescriptions • Reasonable waiting times • Direction regarding emergencies • Pleasant communication • Proper follow-up • Safe environment

4. Quality Assurance The systematic process of checking to see whether a product or service is meeting specified requirements

5. Quality Assurance • Hospitals • Accreditation: A detailed comparison of an organization’s services against a national standard • Credentialing: A comparison of a health care provider’s education and experience against a national standard • Reviews: A “go through” of policies, procedures etc

6. Quality Assurance • When are reviews performed? • Death in hospital • Client readmitted too soon after discharge • Unscheduled return to surgery • Infection contracted in hospital • Falls and injury • Medication errors • etc

7. Quality Assurance • Health Care Offices • Usually have no formal quality assurance plan • Informally cared for as needed • Policies or procedures may need to be reviewed when: • There are errors in relaying prescription information • Specimens are mislabeled • Patients are frequently waiting long periods of time • Phone calls and lab reports are delayed • Charting is incomplete or inaccurate • etc

8. Quality Assurance • Incident Reports • Formal documentation of any lapse of procedure • Commonly seen in large facilities – may sometimes be useful in a smaller office • Include: • Summary of events • Detailed event history • List of who was present at time of event • Any actions taken at time of event • Recommendations for preventing a similar occurrence

9. Occupational Health and Safety • Federal and Provincial legislation that sets out the rights and responsibilities of people in the workplace • Controlled in Ontario by the Ministry of Labour • Workers in the health care field face the same challenges as any clerical worker (repetitive strain injury, falls, etc), but also face the possibility of infection or contamination

10. Responsibilities Under OHSA • Government • Develop and enforce standards • Designate safety officers to inspect the workplace • Disseminate information • Promote training and research • Take action in cases of noncompliance

11. Responsibilities Under OHSA • Employee’s Rights • Refuse unsafe work • Know about actual and potential dangers • Employee’s Responsibilities • Comply with OHS regulations • Use personal protective equipment and clothing as directed • Report workplace hazards and dangers

12. Responsibilities Under OHSA • Employer’s Responsibilities • Establish a joint health and safety committee or have employees appoint a representative • Take reasonable precautions • Train all employees about potential hazards and how to handle them • Supply personal protective equipment and make sure employees know how to use it • Immediately report all critical injuries to the Ministry of Labour

13. WHMIS • Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System • Canada-wide system designed to inform workers about hazardous materials

14. WHMIS Supplier Label