Patient Safety Goals
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Patient Safety Goals
The International Patient Safety Goals (IPSG)is a list of guidelines for improving healthcare to the patients and enhancing their safety. The patient safety goals is an essential part of the improvement of patient-centered healthcare systems. There are several patient safety formulated in 2019 aimed at increasing the patients’ comfort and recovery. The patient safety selected for this paper is the reduction of health-associated infections, which are accountable for preventable delays in recovery and deaths.
Healthcare-associated infections refer to the infections acquired by patients during treatment. These infections often get to the patients through unsensitized equipment, the doctor’s or nurses’ hands, and negligence. According to Gosselin et al. (2019), healthcare-related infections are a significant cause of patient deaths due to their immunity inadequacies, thus increasing the patients’ vulnerability to minor infections. Moreover, the annual number of patient deaths due to infections acquired when receiving treatment is estimated to be 99,000 in the united states. Therefore, reducing the possibility of passing on infections to the patients would have a significantly positive effect on reducing patient deaths related to these infections. Gosselin et al. (2019) pointed out that as one of the essential patient care goals, reducing these infections can be achieved using personal protective equipment appropriately. The personal protective gear may include gloves, protective gowns, and masks during the treatment procedures. Other methods of preventing the infections include the measures to control the patient’s environment and the hospital in general, frequent washing or sanitization of hands, and the aseptic technique, which refers to the application of the most stringent rules in clinics, laboratories, and surgery rooms as per the international healthcare standards.
The opportunities that can be derived from the International Patient Care Goals include a seamless administration of treatment to the patients at different levels of recovery. This is achievable through proper identification of the patients the moment they check in to the hospital. This will ensure that the patients get accurate doses for the appropriate treatment to prevent drug resistance from pathogens and over-reliance on drugs. Additionally, the passing of relevant information about patients at the end of shifts, and in doctor-nurse meetings will ensure that the correct testing for health conditions is carried out. Stevens et al. (2019) stated that other than lack of work experience, and inadequate training, patient misdiagnosis is caused by communication failure. Having a standard patient questioning tool for gathering useful information is vital, and it may prevent patient misdiagnosis, and ultimately patient death reduction.
The challenges associated with the patient safety goals include the lack of a robust infrastructure to implement the necessary changes within all patient treatment facilities. The infrastructure will require changes not only at the hospital level but also in medical training institutions. Changes in the training curriculum and relentless encouragement of the nurses to apply the stipulated rules, and follow procedures accurately may take years to establish in all hospitals.