We put our trust in a medical professional to diagnose and treat any ailment or injury. However, just because we trust a doctor and their staff doesn’t make them infallible. A study from Johns Hopkins University found that 250,000 patients die annually from medical errors. That number surpasses the deaths attributed to respiratory illnesses. Those statistics are the reasons for the establishment of the seven national patient safety goals.
Every hospital must undergo a stringent accreditation process. The Joint Commission is the organization charged with making those assessments, and it has vetted over 22,000 health care organizations nationwide. State governments recognize that accreditation is a condition for practitioners to receive Medicaid and Medicare payments.
As part of their overview process, the Joint Commission established the National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) to improve patient health care. Along with a panel of safety experts, the Patient Safety Advisory Group (PSAG), the Joint Commission established seven goals that doctors and patients should put into practice. All of the safety recommendations are designed to reduce the risk of injury due to instances of medical malpractice.
Here are the seven National Patient Safety Goals:
1. Improve the Accuracy of Patient Identification
Medical staff need to use two types of patient identifiers when providing any care, treatment, or services. The most common identifiers are a patient’s name and their birthday. Confirming those two facts ensures the right patient gets the proper medication and treatment.
2. Improve the Effectiveness of Communication Among Caregivers
Effective communication between caregivers and their patients is vital to prevent errors and boost patient safety. Doctors and their staff need to establish a standard approach to communicating with their patients. That can include website portals, emails, and other forms of communication that patients can depend on for updates and results. Those standards go a long way toward preventing miscommunication. If the facts are in writing, there should be no misunderstandings.
3. Improve the Safety of Using Medications
In a pre-op setup, all medications, solutions, and containers should be clearly labeled. Additionally, there should be access to a complete record of the patient’s current medications, especially if they take any type of blood thinner.
Patients should also receive written information about their new medications, including dosage and possible side effects. Patients are encouraged to bring an updated list of their prescribed medications to every doctor’s visit.
4. Reduce Patient Harm Associated With Clinical Alarm Systems
Any visit to a hospital for emergency services or pre-elective surgery will have the patient hooked up to clinical alarm systems that monitor their vital signs. These devices are designed to alert caregivers to potential patient problems. These devices must be managed appropriately to ensure the alarms are heard and quickly responded to by the staff.
5. Reduce the Risk of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)
Preventing healthcare-associated infections is one of the most important factors to implement at all levels of patient care. Hospitals and health care facilities must follow the guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce the risk of infections and the spread of viruses.
6. Identify Safety Risks Inherent in the Patient Population
Hospital staff need to be on the alert for signs of suicide in high-risk patients. With those patients, staff should remove any objects within the patient’s environment that can lead to self-harm. There should also be more direct monitoring on a one-to-one basis.
7. Conduct a Pre-Procedural Verification Process
The Joint Commission established the Universal Protocol for Preventing Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure, and Wrong Person Surgery. Those protocols apply to all surgical and nonsurgical invasive procedures. The goal is to ensure that the correct surgical procedure is performed on the correct patient and body part. That can mean marking the surgery site and pausing before the procedure for a time-out (final confirmation) to minimize the risk of a surgical error occurring.
When Malpractice Occurs
Despite the best efforts of most health care professionals to keep their patients safe, medical malpractice occurs.
The experienced attorneys at DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC understand the complexities of medical malpractice claims. We strive to find fair compensation for our clients and their loved ones who are involved in malpractice incidents.
If you are experiencing this type of problem, call our offices today to discuss what happened. We can help you find information about all your options under West Virginia law.
