Quality care is the extent to which health services for people and populations increase the probability of achieving the desired health care results. Safe care’s main objective is to prevent and reduce risks, errors, and dangers that may happen to a patient while providing health care services. The safety of patients is enhanced by the use of health information systems which decrease the amounts of medical errors, alleviate adverse drug reactions, and increase agreement with medical recommendations. Patient safety has been improved by medical warnings, alerts, medical flags, reporting, and consultation. Patient-centered care is meant to acknowledge patients’ experiences, stories, and knowledge and provide focused care. It respects patients’ values, preferences, and needs by engaging the patient more in the care process.
Technology
Technology has become an important integral part of today’s world of medicine. Technology is advantageous as it has increased efficiency, improved quality, and reduced medical costs. Technology improves patient safety as it allows communication between clinicians. A patient may need to visit different health professionals to get the necessary care, increasing the chances of medical errors and miscommunication. Communication errors are one of the major common factors that lead to adverse situations. The designation of EHRs has helped reduce medical errors as it facilitates the compilation and maintenance of patient records, which can be retrieved and easily accessed (Atasoy et al., 2019). Technology also increases patient-centered care by fostering communication between medical providers and patients through text messages or emails. Technology also allows access to patients’ information, such as medical records, increasing patient convenience, and self-monitoring. Technology improves quality as patients have access to the best diagnostic tools, new treatments, and new treatment methods resulting in quick healing and less pain.
Communication
Communication between a healthcare provider with a patient or a patient’s family member characterizes an unwelcome occasion for a patient safety event. Good communication between the patient and the healthcare system throughout the patient’s treatment, which includes diagnosis, treatment, and other settings of care, ensures that the patient and the caregivers can participate commendably in the patient’s care and make knowledgeable decisions. Miscommunications or not communicating the right information can cause harm to a patient. Healthcare professionals must communicate with their patients about their health problems upon discharge or how to manage the health problem if it worsens to prevent harmful consequences from occurring to the patient. Communication improves care by allowing healthcare teams to communicate effectively and work together to reduce potential errors. Respectful communiqué between medical professionals and patients can diminish indecision, boost patient commitment to decisions, improve patient obedience to medication and treatment strategies, and increase social support, safety, and patient contentment in care.
Collaboration
In healthcare, healthcare providers play complementary roles and work together to share responsibilities to solve problems and make decisions meant to carry out patient care. Healthcare professionals oftenly work together to deliver quality care and a stellar patient experience. For example, when a patient walks into an emergency department and complains of having chest pains, the emergency department doctor will first check the patient out. The cardiologists will later assess the patient, who will make orders to the radiologist to run some tests and confirm the doctor’s suspicions that the patient has a heart attack. The patient undergoes surgery, where a group of nurses ensures recovery continues. All these teams have a more understanding of the patient, although they may not always be in the same room with the patient and share information through the EHR. Collaboration between medical professionals improves patient safety by the reduction in medical errors. Misdiagnosis and missed symptoms have caused a lot of deaths among patients. Accidents can happen when many doctors prescribe multiple drugs and nurses deliver those drugs (Rosen et al., 2018). Interprofessional collaboration in healthcare can help deviate death rates. Collaboration is important since it improves how a team works together and solves problems. Listening and learning from each other assists team members in helping each other in achieving the desired goals.
Shared decision-making
Shared decision-making means that a health care provider and a patient work hand in hand in making healthcare choices that are best for the patient. For shared decision-making to happen, three important elements must take place. The first element is that the medical provider and the patient must acknowledge and agree that a decision is required. The second element is that both need to comprehend the pros and cons of each option they weigh. The last element ensures that the decision-making considers both the medical providers’ direction and the patient’s values and choices (Pieterse et al., 2019). Sharing decisions between healthcare providers with their patients regarding their treatment or screening decisions is advantageous as it improves patients’ knowledge concerning treatment optrions. It also reduces conflicting decisions that a patient might have regarding treatment. Shared decision-making is advantageous as the patient and the healthcare provider decides on a healthcare plan. When a patient plays a role in decision-making and comprehends the role, the patient has a high probability of going through with the agreed plan. Shared decisions help improve quality care as patients who make their own healthcare decisions that mirror their liking often feel more involved in their healthcare and experience better results which adds to quick recovery and increased passivity with treatment procedures.
Law, regulations, and policies
Regulation is a key unit in healthcare and healthcare insurance. Regulatory bodies play a vital role in protecting healthcare consumers from health dangers, providing a safe working atmosphere for healthcare providers, and ensuring public health and well-being are obliged by health programs. Regulation standards can be made by either the government or private organizations. Regulations standardize and supervise healthcare to ensure that healthcare bodies follow public health policies and that safe care is provided to all patients and those who visit healthcare systems. Regulatory agencies are responsible for informing the government about changes in how a healthcare facility operates, ensuring high safety standards, and trying to improve healthcare quality while following laws imposed by state, local, or federal guidelines. Laws in healthcare are vital in formalizing guarantees to goals such as the goal of universal health coverage. People accomplish cooperation and health goals by using laws to produce different organizations such as hospitals. Policies need to be implemented to support changes at different levels of the delivery care process.
References
Atasoy, H., Greenwood, B. N., & McCullough, J. S. (2019). The digitization of patient care: a review of the effects of electronic health records on health care quality and utilization. Annual review of public health, 40, 487-500. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040218-044206
Rosen, M. A., DiazGranados, D., Dietz, A. S., Benishek, L. E., Thompson, D., Pronovost, P. J., & Weaver, S. J. (2018). Teamwork in healthcare: Key discoveries enabling safer, high-quality care. American Psychologist, 73(4), 433. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/amp0000298
Pieterse, A. H., Stiggelbout, A. M., & Montori, V. M. (2019). Shared decision-making and the importance of time. Jama, 322(1), 25-26. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.3785
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