Challenges Associated With Quality of Care and Patient Safety, Essay Example

Within the modern healthcare system, there are significant challenges associated with quality of care and patient safety across many areas that require further discussion. Patient health is unnecessarily compromised in many circles and requires an understanding of gaps in care that influence change and create new opportunities to improve services and direct patient care at the bedside. Therefore, patients must be able to have some degree of input regarding their care and also be able to share their experiences with others in order to make a difference in the lives of other patients (Weingart 269). There must be a greater emphasis on patient input and support for quality-based initiatives and compliance with patient safety standards to minimize the risk of injury (Weingart 269). Patient input must be a key contributor to expand quality of care and frame the future of healthcare practice in this area.

Patient safety is also a critical issue that requires compliance with established standards and an overall understanding of the many steps that are required to protect patients from additional risk or harm (Wachter 1). It is important to address issues regarding patient safety that will influence decision-making for clinicians and recognize the value of protecting patients in a variety of settings so that they do not face risks that could lead to injuries such as falls in the hospital setting. There must be a greater emphasis on communication between clinicians and professionals in order to reiterate safety standards and to ensure that patient health is not in any further jeopardy. This process is instrumental in shaping how to promote efficiency and safety in a variety of areas, supporting a greater need to acknowledge the importance of key standards in advancing the principles and objectives of patient care quality and safety in supporting patient outcomes.

Works Cited

Wachter, Robert M. Understanding patient safety. McGraw Hill Medical, 2012.

Weingart, Saul N., et al. “Hospitalized patients’ participation and its impact on quality of care and patient safety.” International Journal for Quality in Health Care (2011): mzr002.