While most healthcare providers and hospitals do their best to ensure the safety of their patients, safety concerns continue to be an ongoing challenge worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, “one in ten patients are harmed whilst receiving health care.”¹ Facilities aiming to produce better outcomes and patient satisfaction must have patient safety as their top priority—for both the organization and the patients.
Key factors affecting patient safety include the following:
- Diversity of patients needs
- Patient misunderstanding of treatment/medication
- Medical errors (pre and post-operation)
- Medical complexities
- Healthcare provider issues
- Short staffed hospitals or clinics
- Inadequate or non-persistent training (Sign-up for Sklar's Free Accredited CE Course)
- System failures
- Poor communication
- Environmental factors
- Infrastructure failures
- Use of damaged/old medical instruments
- Improper processing and cleaning strategies (Check out our Instrument Care Catalog)
- Complicated technology or systems
- Drug/prescription errors
- “Technological Iatrogenesis"
In addition to these major top-of-mind considerations, there are several other factors impacting patient care that go undocumented. The World Health Organization reports that “approximately 43 million patient safety incidences occur every year.”¹ On the bright side, this seems to be trending down, as an article in Modern Healthcare confirmed there is evidence of “improvements in patient safety in U.S. hospitals…approximately 1.3 million fewer patients were harmed between 2010 and 2013.”²
How can you bridge the gap?
Within the last few decades, governments and organizations have been focusing much of their efforts on education and clinical programs aimed at reducing patient care errors. Recently, The Federal Ministry of Health hosted the second global Ministerial Summit on Patient Safety on March 29th and 30th. The topics discussed at the 2017 Summit included the following:
- Economy and Efficiency of Patient Safety
- Global Patient Safety - Perspectives from Low- and Middle-income Countries
- Patient Safety and Mobile Health, Big Data, and Handheld Devices
- Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases
- Increased Safety of Diagnostics and Treatment - Checklists and Other Tools
- Safety of Medication Therapy
These topics were selected intentionally for their relevance to patient safety in healthcare industry education. The Federal Ministry of Health reports that awareness and educational opportunities have risen steadily--both nationally and internationally--due to similar programs.
These safety courses improve conditions and statistics of patient care while “applying lessons learned from business and industry, adopting innovative technologies, educating providers and consumers, enhancing error reporting systems, and developing new economic incentives.”³
By bridging the gap in patient safety through educational summits and programs, the healthcare industry will see a continual decrease in negative outcomes.
How Can Sklar Instruments Help?
While education and experience are influential in increased patient safety, the instruments and equipment that healthcare providers use are equally essential in improving conditions. At Sklar, we offer five grades of quality medical instruments and over 19,000 products. With over 125 years of experience, our instruments are designed and manufactured to provide the best service for all medical needs. We believe that the smallest change in medical services can have a monumental impact.
Increasing the success rate of patient care begins with proper instruments and sterilization process in your facility. This small step in replacing and replenishing sterilization and protection supplies has proven to be incredibly significant in achieving patient safety.
Download FREE catalogs and acquire the medical instruments best for your business.
For more information and tips, read World Health Organizations “10 Facts in Patient Safety” by clicking here.
What are some other ways to bridge the gap in patient safety? Share with us in the comments below!
References:
- World Health Organization. Patient Safety.
- Meyers, Harris. Coverage Expansions, Lost Cost Growth, Continued Reform Battles Highlight 2014. (December 2014)
- The Free Dictionary. Patient Safety. (2014)
- HIT Consultant: Our Thought Leaders. 7 Healthcare Trends to
Watch in 2017. (January 2017)
