Key aspects of patient safety in hospitals

To ensure patient safety and meet established international goals, hospitals must follow a series of essential actions that focus on fundamental aspects of medical care, including:

1. Effective communication. Clear and effective communication between medical staff is essential to ensure patient safety. This involves ensuring that relevant information, such as procedures, blood transfusions, and more details, are recorded in a structured and accessible platform for clinical records.
2. Safe infrastructure. As a complex entity, the hospital requires meticulous attention to every detail of the spaces. This implies complying with regulations related to height, dimensions, accessibility for people with disabilities, and power outlets, among other aspects. Room management and adaptation for different needs, such as outpatient clinics, operating rooms, and recovery areas, are vital to ensure a safe environment for visitors.
3. Infection control. Efforts to control nosocomial infections, which are those acquired during hospital stays, are imperative. The guidelines for preventing and monitoring post-surgical, intraoperative, or diseases caused by medical procedures must be combined.
4. Management of health records. Clinical records must be maintained accurately and organized, whether electronically or on paper. It is important to validate that the treating doctors sign them and register detailed information about the attention provided, including dispensed medications and nursing notes.
5. Medication management. Precise protocols must be followed to ensure safety when dispensing medications, including using single doses and monitoring interactions between substances and pharmacovigilance. In addition, it is necessary to make relevant reports to the healthcare authorities to maintain adequate control over the pharmaceutical industry.
6. Subrogated services. Ensuring patient safety also involves establishing clear procedures for the entry of visitors and external providers, guaranteeing that they comply with identification strategies, delimitation of permitted and restricted areas, plus specific requirements coordinated with their activities within the hospital, which can range from provision of medical supplies to cleaning and waste collection services.

Hospitals must commit to implementing these measures in their daily practice to provide safe and quality medical care.

Traceability of medicines and supplies in hospitals

Within clinic management, it is essential to ask whether there is adequate clinical and administrative traceability for each patient and each process. Whether in a large hospital with hundreds of beds or a smaller one, controlling medications and supplies ensures quality care and drives compliance with certification standards.

Each medical situation demands specific care, which highlights the importance of maintaining a detailed record of the treatments applied: capturing everything from the route of drug administration to the application hours and the treating doctor, without overlooking the supplies used. Likewise, maintaining precise control of the materials used is important for a successful internal audit. Proper recording of what enters and is administered in a given period maintains transparency and efficiency in hospital management.

A robust traceability system improves the quality of the services and enriches the epidemiological and statistical control of the hospital, the town, and the nation. This information allows the executive team to make informed decisions and optimize internal processes.

Hospital manuals and processes

The importance of implementing safety procedures in hospitals is undeniable since these protect not only patients but also medical and administrative staff. Clear rules, detailed manuals, and well-founded and implemented processes guarantee a strengthened environment, ranging from individual levels to healthcare organizations.

From basic practices like handwashing to more specialized care in areas like the operating room, no detail is too much when it comes to maintaining a safe healthcare environment. These are some of the procedures that we can find in healthcare organizations:

• Healthcare-related infections
• Epidemiological surveillance
• Sterilization and disinfection
• Cleaning of rooms and common areas
• Management of infectious biological hazardous waste
• Feeding
• Hemodialysis manual
• Medication administration processes
• Work health and safety
• Water quality monitoring
• Ambulance service
• Vaccination
• Maintenance and engineering controls
• Safety in construction or remodeling
• Warehouse and inventories

Integrating a quality assurance model into hospitals helps maintain a consistent focus on patient safety. However, this requires a multidisciplinary team committed to compliance with established rules and regulations. It is essential to continually train staff to stay updated with modernized procedures and protocols. Additionally, documentation must be reviewed and revamped regularly to reflect changes in the processes and technologies employed.

Detailed planning, constant staff training, and continuous review of processes are key components that ensure the successful integration of the quality model in the company. Additionally, it is essential to review and modify contracts with providers and medical staff to ensure safety standards are met in all hospital areas.

Talking about patient safety means complying with standards and regulations and having an organizational culture that prioritizes well-being in every decision and action. Raising awareness about the importance of this issue is the first step in evaluating whether a hospital is ready to be certified and comply with best practices and international standards. Ultimately, the patient should always be the center of attention and care in any healthcare facility.

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