Riverbend City Patient Safety Mission, Coursework Example

Introduction

The Riverbend City transcript introduces a number of issues that are relevant in promoting patient safety over the long term. It is important for nurses and other staff members to slow down and to take the time that is necessary to address patient needs in a gradual manner so that decision-making is appropriate and will not lead to errors in treatment and risks to safety. When patient safety is compromised, there is a significant risk of placing a patient in harm’s way, even if these risks are unintentional. Therefore, staff members must be cognizant of their surroundings and of the decisions that they are required to make in order to protect patients from unnecessary risk or harm. The scenarios provided in the Riverbend City example are relevant because they demonstrate the risks that staff members took that placed their patients in unnecessary danger.

Analysis

The Riverbend City examples are important because they serve as reminders of the necessity to establish safety protocols and for nurses and other staff members to pay close attention to their actions and to not rush patient care and chart reviews in any way. A number of the issues addressed in these examples were directly related to poor decision-making on behalf of nurses and nursing assistants, thereby placing patients in harm’s way. These issues could largely be avoided in this scenario and in countless other examples if organizations and nurses take a step back and take their time when performing the required tasks in order to protect patient safety. There are a number of widespread efforts that have been attempted in recent years to promote patient safety, but they have been met with mixed results (Wachter, 2010). There are a number of research-based gaps and other challenges that have played a role in determining how to best move forward with patient safety standards and protocols that will lead to successful outcomes for patients and will not compromise their safety in the process (Wachter, 2010).

In many ways, patient safety may be observed as a global phenomenon because this issue is prevalent in healthcare organizations throughout the world (Bates et.al, 2009). Under these circumstances, it is evident that patient safety must be considered as a key priority across all healthcare facilities to reduce the number of fatalities and also reduce mortality rates (Bates et.al, 2009). Healthcare outcomes for patients largely depend on the ability to promote patient safety in all activities that are directly related to patients, as well as those activities which have an indirect impact on patients (Bates et.al, 2009). Patient care must be effective and safe at all times so that patients have a greater chance of recovery and survival (Bates et.al, 2009). By using a global approach to patient safety, it is likely that healthcare providers will be effective in expanding their protocols in order to encourage patient safety at all times in a variety of healthcare environments (Bates et.al, 2009).

With the examples provided in the Riverbend City case study, it is important to recognize that nurses must acclimate to new cultures and also recognize the importance of language barriers when working with patients (Burhans et.al, 2012). Under these circumstances, there are significant factors to consider that influence the ability of nurses to effectively communicate with patients who speak different languages and who are from different cultures (Burhans et.al, 2012). These factors are important because they convey the challenges of communicating when language barriers are evident, particularly in the healthcare setting, because communication breakdowns may lead to poor decision-making and related outcomes for many patients and thereby create a negative nurse-patient experience (Burhans et.al, 2012). However, nurses do not learn these concepts overnight, as they are required to complete different types of training and education in order to accomplish the desired objectives without compromising patient safety (Burhans et.al, 2012).

Finally, the development of a successful approach to patient safety that is applicable to a wide variety of situations is to communicate among staff members in order to accomplish the desired objectives in a timely manner. This also includes the discovery of new objectives in order to achieve excellence in patient safety that will enhance quality of care at all times. Furthermore, patients must contribute to their own safety whenever possible by adhering to specific regulations or requirements that govern their care (Hovey et.al, 2011). Patients will recognize that their plan of care is in their best interests and supports their recovery over a period of time (Hovey et.al, 2011). Errors must be prevented as best as possible so that patients do not face significant risk or harm during hospitalization (Hovey et.al, 2012). New strategies to accommodate patient care outcomes, as well as a greater focus on attention and actions, must be sought so that patients do not face unnecessary risks in the hospital setting that could have been otherwise prevented (Hovey et.al, 2011).

Conclusion

The Riverbend City example is one of many examples that address patient safety and decision-making by healthcare professionals. When patient safety is compromised, there is a much greater risk of patient harm; therefore, it is important to recognize the challenges that nurses must consider when treating their patients and in promoting patient safety at all times. These contributions are relevant because they shape the manner by which nurses promote excellence in patient care rather than to make poor decisions that will have a negative impact on patient safety in the workplace setting. These efforts are instrumental in determining whether or not patient safety might be achieved in a given setting.

References

Bates, D.W., Larizgoitia, I., Prasopa-Plaizier, N., and Jha, A.K. (2009). Global priorities for patient safety research. British Medical Journal, doi:10.1136/bmj.b1775

Burhans, L.D., Chastain, K., and George, J.L. (2012). Just culture and nursing regulation: learning to improve patient safety. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 2(4), 43-49.

Hovey, R.B., Dvorak, M.L., Burton, T., Worsham, S., Padilla, J., Hatlie, M.J., and Morck, A.C. (2011). Patient safety: a consumer’s perspective. Qualitative Health Research, 21(5), 662-672.

Wachter, R.M. (2010). Patient safety at ten: unmistakable progress, troubling gaps. Health Affairs, 29(1), 165-173.