Having been a healthcare consultant since the late 1990s, Kevin Calisher has a deep understanding of the importance of patient safety in all healthcare facilities. This should be a main priority for everybody, from those involved in the design and development of such facilities through to the physicians who will be working in them. The following are some useful patient safety tips that you should aim to follow.
Educate Patients
Many patients leave medical facilities, particularly surgical centers, with unclear ideas about what they need to do to ensure they enjoy good recovery periods. A focus on patient education reduces the risk. Focus on issues like the proper use of blood thinners and the importance of getting dosages correct. Poorly-educated patients are likely to end up back at the facility, which hampers the recovery process.
Use Good Design Principles
Patient safety should be considered from the moment you start designing blueprints for a medical facility. You can prevent injury by designing good patient rooms that present little opportunity for trips and spills. Other principles, such as creating centralized and easy-to-access nurse’s stations, must also be considered. You also need to provide well-lit, quiet spaces where physicians and pharmacists can do their work without distraction.
Constantly Analyze
You need to build a safety culture into your facility, which means designing and implementing a plan for all staff to follow. This is not all you need to do though, as it is crucial that you constantly measure performance against a number of key metrics. This will allow you to see where improvement is needed.
Educate Patients
Many patients leave medical facilities, particularly surgical centers, with unclear ideas about what they need to do to ensure they enjoy good recovery periods. A focus on patient education reduces the risk. Focus on issues like the proper use of blood thinners and the importance of getting dosages correct. Poorly-educated patients are likely to end up back at the facility, which hampers the recovery process.
Use Good Design Principles
Patient safety should be considered from the moment you start designing blueprints for a medical facility. You can prevent injury by designing good patient rooms that present little opportunity for trips and spills. Other principles, such as creating centralized and easy-to-access nurse’s stations, must also be considered. You also need to provide well-lit, quiet spaces where physicians and pharmacists can do their work without distraction.
Constantly Analyze
You need to build a safety culture into your facility, which means designing and implementing a plan for all staff to follow. This is not all you need to do though, as it is crucial that you constantly measure performance against a number of key metrics. This will allow you to see where improvement is needed.
Kevin Calisher is the President of Calisher & Associates, Inc.
