Are Community Hospitals Safe - Essay Example

Safety in a Community Hospital Safety in a Community Hospital Hospitals present one of the most hazardous places one can ever work in. This is mainly because everything that doctors, nurses and other hospital stakeholder revolve around is dangerous. Name the chemicals used, the equipment they handle, the diversity of the patients they handle and the vulnerability they are exposed to for communicable ailments. All this plus other numerous examples validate the idea of safety in hospitals. The safety is not only concern of the employees of the hospitals but also stretches to include the patients being handled, other people who are in the hospital and the community which leaves within the surrounding of the hospital (Roberts & Perryman 2007). This inclusion is vital in the sense that when a problem is being handled as far as safety is concerned; it can be effective in all dimensions. Legal Responsibility of the Community Hospital as far as Safety is concerned Like any other organization, a community hospital is not an exception in the legal framework when it comes to the case of handling matters pertaining safety at work. There are general rules which are basic to every organization in ensuring that the safety of workers and its partners are safe while in the organization’s premises and vicinity (Reiman, Pietikäinen & Oedewald 2010). To add on these basics, there are those which precisely apply to the community hospitals and they form the discussion point for this section of this paper. The well being of every employee in a community hospital is the first control measure for enhancing safety in the hospital (Roberts & Perryman 2007). This is because an employee who is stressed up is a source of accidents which otherwise are extremely preventable. In that regard, it is legal mandate of the hospital to ensure to ensure that anybody who reports for work is okay. Failure to this any accident which occurs because the employee was not in his normal senses is not pardonable. The employer will bear the cost in fullness. For this reason, employees’ health should be kept in guard and anything which might add to the inefficiency of the worker like shift management should be handled in the most amicable way lest it causes problems that can dearly cost the hospital. It is purely the responsibility of the community hospital management to ensure that the equipments that are being used by its workers to administer the patients are safe. The law does not entertain negligence in this field as faulty equipments harm both the health workers and the patients. The effect may even be extended to the surrounding environment and hence any tool that is being used needs to be in full secure operating form. The health workers are professionals in their own field and hence have a code of conduct they pledge at time of certification. This code of conduct and ethics entails taking the right measures in a very reasonable manner to ensure that diligence in service delivery is as per the standards (Roberts & Perryman 2007). Falling short of this expectation is exposing danger at workplace and despite who gets harmed due to this negligence the impact is felt by the entire health unit and its associates who are the patients and the surrounding society. For this cause, it is a legal requirement that all those who practice in a community health be professionals with accredited credentials that have taken an oath of diligence performance in service delivery. Training is on safety in a community hospital is inevitable. This is a responsibility of the organization to ensure that all its workers are acquitted with the most viable measures that minimize accidents in hospitals. Training on how to handle unexpected accidents should be given to every worker as this goes a long way into protecting the lives of those who are in the hospital and in the surrounding (Reiman, Pietikäinen & Oedewald 2010). Ignorance cannot though be a defense in any matter of negligence and hence stakeholder ought to take viable steps in ensuring safety. Agencies overseeing compliance to Responsibilities of the Community Hospitals Every formal organization understands the importance of safety measures and the community hospitals are a no exception. For this reason there exist a number of guidelines and agencies which are either internal or external that works to see that commitment on matters touching on safety of all the hospital stakeholders have been taken care of (Reiman, Pietikäinen & Oedewald 2010). Nearly all the community hospitals have safety committees at the internal level that spearheads matters that concern safety of all in these health units. The names that are used in referring to these committees vary from one community health hospital to another depending on the traditions of a particular hospital. At the external ends, there are agencies that monitor the safety precautions in the hospitals at state level or at Federal level. In South Carolina, the Department of Health and Environmental Control is such one body that guards credibility of safety measures in hospitals. The Federal government has enacted laws that offer guidelines in safety precautions hence making it the key regulator of community hospital safety measures. Process of Overseeing Safety Regulations Basically the entire process involves professionals who are dedicated and committed into ensuring the safety at these hospitals is upheld high. Compromise of the safety standards is totally unacceptable and heavily punishable on whoever was negligible. The safety committees always strive to achieve a goal of not only meeting safety standards but providing high degree of the accidents not happening. This is met mainly through close supervision of the safety measures and implementation. Through collaboration with state agencies, safety committees educate and incorporate new changes in the safety precaution measures in their respective hospitals. The national agencies ensure certification is given to only those professionals and health institutions that meet not the basic but all the requirements of safety in hospitals. Regular inspection by the safety governing agencies from all the levels is common and this guarantees continued enforcement and implantation of the required safety measures in the community hospitals. Consultation services are part of the overseeing process and this is done from the organization’s safety committee’s to the national safety agencies. Conclusion Safety is a key component that should be accorded the attention it deserves. This attention aids much in detecting loopholes at the very elementary stage which is very important in preventing occurrence of an accident. It should not be a forced or feel-like burden when instituting safety measures as success of the organization depends on safety very much. In the case of community hospitals, everybody is important and safety should be extended to all including society that lives within the environment. For example, material disposable should be done in the most secure way so that contamination of the surrounding atmosphere is prevented. Diligence and commitment in service delivery remains key features that pave way for safety in community hospitals. References Reiman, T., Pietikäinen, E., & Oedewald, P. (2010). Multilayered approach to patient safety culture -- Reiman et al. 19 (5): 1 -- Quality and Safety in Health Care. Quality safety in health care, 19(5), 1-g-5 Roberts, V., & Perryman, M. M. (2007). Creating a culture for health care quality and safety. The Health Care Manager, 26(2), 155-158 Read More