Outstanding patient care issue - Research Paper Example

? Accreditation Task 3 Affiliation with more information about affiliation, research grants, conflictof interest and how to contact Task: A. Review the tracer patient information from the attached “Accreditation Audit Case Study” and do the following: 1. Discuss an outstanding patient care issue for the organization made evident by the tracer patient. The 67-year-old female was admitted to a hospital because she had a laparoscopic hysterectomy. Healthcare is the most varying and the most synchronized sector in the current world. The quality in healthcare management is very important, which determines the level of confidence in patients to rely on a particular organization. It is important for the patient to understand that the hospital works in a cohesive manner and there is outstanding patient care. The hospital is responsible to provide all facilities for the doctors as well as the patients. Nurses have an inevitable role in hospitals; first and foremost, they have to clarify what the doctors have prescribed. For providing outstanding care to the patient, these nurses have to call the doctors and be thorough with which types of antibiotics to be given at what time. They take rounds throughout the hospital regularly so as to check the conditions of patients. They need to accompany the physicians and take notes according to what they say. They are masterminds at assessing the patient’s level of pain just by judging their facial expressions and they try various things to cheer the moods of patients. The current healthcare field is evolving and advancing with time, as a result, many of the organizations are trying to fulfill the needs and wants of the patients by providing them high class treatment with all types of equipments and machineries. The patient had fever and drainage afterwards and that is why she was readmitted to the hospital for a probable postoperative disease, seven days before. The patient needs utmost care from the organization. This will improve her health both mentally and physically. From the hospital’s point of view, it is very important to take care of the patient by providing whatever treatment or medication is needed. The individual effort will make a group effort that will directly give the best name to the hospital as the staff work their maximum to revive a patient back to complete health. The patients will be pleased by the way they are treated and would also appreciate the teamwork of the hospital. A consistent team of thoughtful people will create a world of diversity in exceptional patient care issues, which would bring in wide-ranging rewards to the performance. “A trusting relationship with patients and their families is built on open, honest communication. However, today's health care environment makes good communication among patients, families, and caregivers harder and harder to achieve. Hospital stays are shorter, medical care is more technologically complex, resources are constrained, and there is a growing need for patients and families to have more information about, and involvement in, care decisions” (Communicating With Patients, 2011). This mutual consent between the hospital authorities and the patients will lead to a positive result. The doctors, nurses and others from the lab and various departments, who are involved in the health care operations, will help the patients to retain their confidence. The initial nursing plan has been documented but not updated after surgery. The oxygen tanks have been found on the floor and it has been found in not a secured condition. The nurses should clarify orders properly. Also the nurse was not able to range order policy accurately. As diseases like laparoscopic hysterectomy cause a lot of pain and suffering to the patients, they hope for a better treatment that would relieve their pain. The nurses and doctors have to treat this 67-year old patient very carefully and have to put in their best efforts. The patient had to undergo a surgery to treat a swelling that was formed as an aftermath of the last surgery she underwent and this made the situation more complex. She was discharged later and permitted to go home with various antibiotics as well as advised to get bed rest. The relationship between the doctor and patient will nurture through communication and this bond will get stronger when the doctor starts observing the health history of patients as well as the health check proceedings. Considering the case of laparoscopic hysterectomy, this care broadens for the better, away from genuine operations with international health check-up expenses associated to revival and point in time from effort. A very important goal of the doctor is to provide an excellent promising operation for every patient with least intraoperative and postoperative difficulties. Most hospitals are commonly performing laparoscopic hysterectomy operations, but the real influence on the initiation of the disease is not yet identified. The hospital is entering into an interesting era in healthcare management field, and various medical staff are trying their best to reduce health care expenses, and at the same time, providing the patients high quality health care, thus, enhancing healing from ailment. The most important element regarding care given to the patients, from the hospital’s point of view, is to accurately provide relevant information relating to significant issues concerning patients as well as showering hope upon them, which would strengthen the bond between the patient and hospital authorities and the enlargement of conviction. All details regarding patients, given by the physician should be enclosed in a document form, which would prove to be more helpful for further treatments. There are some other subjects, which have to be taken care of, for these kinds of patients in the hospital. They have to file all feedbacks and complaints according to each and every patient, and these are greatly acknowledged. The nurse is in charge of finding details regarding all medications taken by the patient before and after the surgery, as in this case, the 67-year-old patient had found swellings in the abdomen because of the previous surgery. There is a possibility that some treatments and prescribed antibiotics will cause allergies, and, therefore, the physicians have to attend to all these. The nurses must frequently check the patients for even a slightest change in their health and have to check for allergic reactions in their body. The healthcare industry has to provide the necessary care to sick patients, with least problems or anxiety regarding the matter and must ensure rapid revival mainly in an effective mode. The entire team from the nurses, the surgeons, the therapists should work cooperatively and there should be efficient communication. 2. Develop a corrective action plan to address the improvement needs, in providing care to patients, for the organization. The corrective action plan is designed in order to improve the patient safety needs. The first and the foremost corrective action plan is to identify and advise health care providers what are the actions that they should take and how they should intervene with patient care. The corrective action and follow up should be there to identify the patient care which is required. The patient undergoing treatment is a 67-year old female who had a laparoscopic hysterectomy surgery, which was converted to an open procedure due to excessive bleeding approximately five weeks prior to hospitalization. The patient developed fever and drainage and as a result was readmitted to the hospital for postoperative infection. She again underwent surgery to treat the abscess from her previous surgery and is scheduled to be discharged after going through antibiotic therapy. Considering the patient’s situation, it is quite evident that she was not delivered postoperative care and was not provided postoperative treatment either. The organization should make proper arrangements for such care and treatments. Corrective action plan is defined as a formal disciplinary process which is intended to direct a Health Care organization so that it acts in compliance with the performance standards so that the hospitals can provide accurate patient care. This can only be achieved by implementing and enforcing special policies and plans that would improve the hospital’s facilities, especially in terms of nursing care. Laparoscopic hysterectomy is an alternative to abdominal hysterectomy and, therefore, its pros and cons should be explained to the patient. Transformational changes in an organization are not easy to incorporate but organizational changes are much easier to incorporate. The patient did not receive advance directives, but the patient nor were her family responsible for buying those directives. The patient’s skin assessment was done on admission. She had poor nutritional intake and also suffered from infection and, thus, had to be put in the specialty bed. The initial nursing plan of care has been documented but was not updated since the surgery. The patient was not given anti nausea drugs after she returned from surgery, which should have been provided. The patient should be explained the surgery risks and benefits before the surgery. A health care association should assess its safety planning efforts with respect to care and treatment of patients before a serious breach to security occurs, rather than waiting for an event that compromises safety and makes a patient’s outcomes and life well publicized. In providing medication, the lowest dose should be provided first and then the rest in increasing order. The physical history of the patient should be studied carefully before any operation or surgery is conducted on him or her. A Corrective Action Plan (CAP) is required for either measure and that does not meet 100% compliance. The first step in the CAP is to conduct root cause analysis and the second step is to explain measurable goals and outcomes as well as identifying the action steps, which need to be taken. Considering various facts, regional monitoring is the CAP plan, which needs to be implemented or launched. Then comes quality analysis report, which monitors the quality from time to time. “Outpatients, inpatients and same day admit patients should receive postoperative monitoring” (Joint Commission Resources, Inc, 2001, P. 13). It has to be identified whether the previous deficient practices have been found out and dealt with or not. Improvement under the patient safety initiatives can be expressed through the Medicare program. Patient safety is a modern healthcare discipline that highlights the analysis, reporting and deterrence of medical mistakes that frequently lead to unfavorable healthcare proceedings. The patient safety initiative action plan is very important in order to minimize the occurrences of medical errors. Comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities, home health agencies, renal dialysis facilities, hospice care are some of the CAPs which need to be taken in order to improve patient safety program. Some of the corrective action plans which needs to be taken by the organization are as follows: Offer patients and relatives with a file that lists what to expect every day in the hospital. The patient and her relatives should be briefed on the importance of postoperative care and the effect of such a treatment. The postoperative care related to dressing up the wound, the care needed in physical movements, post operations etc should be made thorough to the patient as well as her relatives. Improve patient security by persuading them to enquire or report strange happenings other than planned. Enhance and strengthen the communication process between caregivers and patients. Make the process more efficient by drawing upon information in terms of electronic medical evidences. Patient securities involve mutual cooperation among doctors, nurses and officers. Preparing each patient’s personal health reports appropriately and precisely. Personal health reports have a major impact on various features of statement and are linked with better association by patients in their personal care. One of the other Corrective Action Plans is to bring about an organizational change in the hospital. There are two main types of organizational changes, namely the convergent and transformational changes. With the passage of time, the health care industry is growing immensely and, therefore, now there is market competition in hospitals also, which enable the hospitals to pursue new organizational and strategic management policies. Some of the corporate changes, which the hospitals have been practicing as part of hospital reorganization structure, are downsizing of employees, diversification of services and association with healthcare systems. The short term changes which can be brought about in the broad category of organizational change of hospitals include the increase and decrease in the number of hospital staff, while some of the long term changes which can be inculcated are changes in determining the goals of hospitals, changes in its marketing and management strategies and so on. “Patient safety work includes: Assessing and improving safety culture in hospitals and nursing homes Integrating patient safety-related technology Training and supporting root cause analysis and corrective action plans when adverse events occur Clinical safety improvement, in such areas as surgical care and MRSA (Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus)” (Expertise & Services, 2010). Organizations should provide care to patients not only until the time of operation but post operation activities also need to be monitored carefully. The postoperative care is essential for patients as even a minute deficiency in providing care to the patient after post operation can lead to various problems for them, it may sometimes prove to be fatal as well as it may ultimately cause vulnerability of reoccurrence of the disease. So organizations should adopt Corrective Action Plans to address the patient care improvement needs to be followed by them. Reference List Communicating With Patients. (2011). American Hospital Association. Retrieved May 14, 2011, fromhttp://www.aha.org/aha/issues/Communicating-With-Patients/index.html Expertise & Services. (2010). Stratis Health. Retrieved May 14, 2011, from http://www.stratishealth.org/expertise/ Joint Commission Resources, Inc. (2001). Front line of defense: the role of nurses in preventing sentinel events. Joint Commission Resources, P. 13 Retrieved May 14, 2011, from http://books.google.co.in/books?id=pqgO28-AA5UC&pg=PA13&dq=what+organizations+should+do+for+post+operative+care&hl=en#v=onepage&q=what%20organizations%20should%20do%20for%20post%20operative%20care&f=false Read More