Providing quality healthcare is extremely important, especially when it comes to maintaining the safety of patients. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), World Patient Safety Day is intended to increase public awareness and boost overall patient safety. This year, World Patient Safety Day falls on September 17th, marking it as the third annual year. This date gives an important reminder for hospitals to focus on and improve patient safety.
Below, we’ve outlined three recommendations to help ensure that patients are receiving high-quality, safe care at your healthcare facility.
- Enforce Strong Patient Safety Culture
Hospitals must enforce a culture that prioritizes patient safety. To start, establish a task force dedicated to setting goals and designing care guidelines. This group should have a solid understanding of current patient safety standards and areas for improvement. The task force should also be setting an example of what the standard should be when it comes to practicing patient safety and how to incorporate patient safety in day-to-day duties.
A recommendation for healthcare facilities is to share your facility’s safety culture with patients. Consider communicating this messaging to your patients by incorporating this material into newsletters, emails, flyers, or any other patient-facing collateral. This will help to reinforce the message that patient safety is of utmost importance at your healthcare facility.
- Supply Effective Safety Education
Another area of consideration for the patient safety task force is education. What programming is offered to staff members to educate them on the latest information regarding patient safety? Healthcare facilities can establish ongoing education to teach staff members about patient safety and comprehension of the facility’s safety policies. Team members in each varying department should understand how the policies apply to them and their duties.
In addition, provide education to patients and their loved ones, so they fully acknowledge their own care as well as the recommendations provided for them. Education helps patients become more involved in their care.
- Hire a Qualified Team
Healthcare facilities need to ensure that they hire the right people to fill key health care positions. Each department needs enough staff members to properly care for the needs of each patient. It’s no secret that healthcare facilities are currently facing staffing shortages due to the increased need for healthcare. The demand for physicians and advanced practice providers is exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Market trends point to many healthcare facilities being near or at capacity as there has been an uptick in hospitalized Covid patients. In addition, healthcare labor turnover has continued to significantly increase due to the breadth of opportunities that have become available, provider burnout, retirement, and the federal government’s recent vaccine mandate.
If your hospital or healthcare facility is facing a staffing shortage, consider working with Medicus Healthcare Solutions. Our team works to put together teams of quality physicians and advanced practitioners, ensuring that your facility is able to provide the level of care that the community served would expect. Additionally, we will work with your team to stabilize coverage so that your facility can prioritize patient safety and leave the staffing challenges behind.
To learn more about our solutions and how we can help, call Medicus Healthcare Solutions at 855.301.0563 to speak with one of our experienced Business Development Executives.
