Patient Safety

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Discussion
Definition of Patient Safety
Patient safety is an essential, and vital component of quality nursing. Patient safety is the prevention of errors, and adverse effects from occurring to patients. Patient safety is a quality in health care, that all professional should be responsible for. In the health care industry, many flaws in miscalculations of medications, diagnostic procedures, lack of communication, and increased infections has threatened the safety of consumers today.
In reviewing potential factors that contributes to these issues in safety, quality of care delivery is one of the key component in determining the likelihood of reaching this desired health outcome for the protection, and satisfaction of our consumers well-being.
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Patient safety experts believe that medical errors derive more from defective methods than faulty people. More than twenty percent of patients contracts an infection in the hospital that results in deaths each year. The most basic is getting hospital staff members to wash their hands before touching patients. (Bornstein, 2016)
Handwashing protocol. Simple procedures such as proper handwashing, where soap is applied to the hands thoroughly for twenty seconds, can help reduce errors in patient safety. Professional medical staff should be aware that the key to eliminating germs, and preventing infections is in proper hand washing. More documented cases have surfaced suggesting that handwashing is a protocol that should be incorporated in all areas of health to prevent the spread of germs, and the likelihood of
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Pressure ulcers can result from patient being confined to beds over a period of time. Hospital patients run the risk of developing pressure ulcers in a number of ways. Pressure ulcers, which can be a life threating episode, develops from objects, and tubes pressing against the patient skin. Urinary incontinence, malnutrition, and dehydration are other known factors that can exacerbate pressure ulcers. Moreover, infrequent checking, and turning of debilitating patients, can trigger some ulcer formations.
Preventive measures can consist of implementing turning schedules for all morbidity hospital patients that are prone to risk of developing pressure ulcers. Removing and repositioning of tubes to alleviate pressure to the affected sites, develop toileting plans, monitor and encourage nutrition, hydration, increased staff communication, and effective teamwork is ideal.
Staffing protocol. As mentioned in the American Nursing Association (ANA) on line nursing world journal, the shortage of nurses contributes to a critical number of incidents in patient safety. Overstressed, and fatigued nurses are unable to protect patients from their unsafe work practices. Errors in critical thinking, medications, and misidentifications, poses increase threats to patients well-being. (Quigley,