Improving The Quality And Safety Of Healthcare

The level of technology that concerns the health of people in the United States has grown dramatically in the last twenty years. With this new wave of advanced technology numerous controversies have risen up into the public eye. At the top of this list, in health technology is the materials and methods used in keeping humans alive. There are many different viewpoints on how far technology should be allowed to go. Technology cannot effect the patient’s way of life.

In the United States alone there are 98,000 deaths per year caused by low quality health care (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013, pg. 2). This statistic is disturbing because the errors that resulted in death were errors that were preventable. The intent of this chapter is to bring awareness to health care providers that are able to make a change in the quality of health care. In current practice patients are subjected to medication errors, preventable hospitalizations, premature death, and poor care provided due to racial, ethical, or low-income factors.

The main objective of healthcare professionals is to provide the best quality of patient care and the highest level of patient safety. To achieve that objective, there are many organizations that help improve the quality of care. One of the best examples is the Joint Commission. Unfortunately, the healthcare system is not free from total risks. In healthcare activities, there are possible errors, mistakes, near miss and adverse events. All of those negative events are preventable. But, it is clear that errors caused in healthcare result in thousands of deaths in the United States.

Los Angeles, Doctor and founder John McLaughlin, came up with the idea to reduce health care costs and improve patient safety

Australian health care is a complex and ever transforming system, with the need to improve safety and quality of health services an ongoing priority (Australian College of Nursing, 2015). Nurses account for two thirds of the health workforce and are known to bring a deeper understanding to the healthcare sector by identifying financial, social and cultural challenges affecting current health regime (Australian Nursing Federation, 2009). As a result of their expertise at the ground level, nurses may play a significant role within the formation of health policies and not just within the implementation of them (Twigg et al. 2013; Parliament of Australia, n.d). Due to their strong advocacy for patient safety and wellbeing, nurses may prove valuable representatives within national debate about policy reform (Premji & Hatfield, 2016; Sayers et al. 2011). Therefore, it is imperative that a framework for nursing leadership is established to ensure nurses are heard and able to attribute to policy involvement at all levels of the government. The following essay will examine the role of the nurse in policy development at the federal, state and organisational levels and discuss the challenges currently encountered by nurses as they implement health policy and effectively promote safe and quality health practice.

Quality improvement is defined by Kelly (2012) as “a systematic process of organization wide participation and partnership in planning and implementing continuous improvement methods to understand, meet, or exceed customer needs and expectations and improve patient outcomes” (p.477). The women’ unit can receive thirty patients from age eighteen to late adulthood. The unit is a receiving facility for everyone Baker acted in the state of Florida. Like any other organization, change is always happening in the women’s unit. One of the areas that need improvement on the unit is a reduction in the number of seclusion and restraint that we do every month. Patients that are violent and present a danger to either

One technological change that may have the largest effect on our lives today is the rapid growth of medical technology development. Three main effects that medical technology has impacted our modern society are prolonging lifespan, improving quality of health care and promoting nation’s economic growth. The three stages of medical technology are review by regulatory agencies, technology assessments by insurance carriers, and review by purchasers, clinicians, and consumers. Review by regulatory agencies is the most recognized of the three stages and is administered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health by regulating pharmaceutical products and medical devices. Each product must go through a series of approvals, clinical trials, and post market surveillance protocols in order to ensure its safety and effectiveness. www.nap.edu

Technology today has revolutionized the health care realm, as technology evolves so does the environment promoting quality care for that in need. This presentation will explain multiple abbreviations needed to translate and describe AMR, CMR, CMS, along with CMS – 1500, and CPT. Also, explore the meaning of DRG, EPR, HL7, ICD – 9 codes, and UB – 92.

Medical technology encompasses a wide range of healthcare products and is used to diagnose, monitor, and treat diseases or medical conditions that affect humans. This may included but not limited too, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and medical equipment. Such technologies are intended to improve the quality of healthcare delivered through earlier diagnosis, less invasive treatment options and reductions in hospital stays and rehabilitation times. Recent advances in medical technology have also focused on cost reduction. Medical technology may include medical devices, information technology, biotech, and healthcare services. The impacts of medical technology may involve social and ethical issues. For example physicians may seek objective information from technology rather than listening to subjective patient reports. A major contributor of healthcare expenditure in America is the advancement of medical technology. According to several studies it is shown that there is a correlation between the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) and money allocated to healthcare. One of the leading theories is that medical technology is growing faster than expected.

Dimensions in which technology are improving and expanding and are ever evolving, the following are some of the current ways in which patient safety is being enhanced; Patient identity, the use of barcodes and other such identification systems ensures that the provider is providing the correct care to

In observation, (Fahnestock, McComb, & Deshmukh, 2013) stated "Information technologies are transforming the way healthcare is delivered. Innovations such as computer-based patient records, hospital information systems, computer-based decision support tools, community health information networks and new ways of distributing health information.” (p.3.2). In the sector of delivering healthcare using technology, has made it easier for healthcare professionals to access medical records, digitization of prescriptions and view test results. With the use of high-performance devices being used in the hospital, helps to make the jobs of healthcare professionals a little easier. As well as relieve anxiety from anxious patients that may be awaiting lab results to come back. Therefore, IT devices and services has been and continues to be a tremendous help and game changer for the healthcare system. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to help shape and reform the healthcare

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the National Patient Safety Initiative, the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) have all developed regulatory and accreditation standards. For example, the JCAHO recommends that the surgical team pause and articulate the surgical site before commencing, to reduce medical error. Standards and accreditations include issues such as institutional hygiene and safety, as well as policy and procedure related to patient care.

Quality of care, and patient safety matters. Quality of care does not happen overnight; it is a system that an organization creates to measure, assess, and improve performance. This quality management system is a set of interrelated or interacting elements that organizations use to direct and control the implementation of quality policies and achieve quality objectives (Spath, 2013).

Information and communication technology has been adopted and implemented within various sectors of the economy. This is attributed to the benefits of technology in facilitating organizational activities and processes and its use in meeting the changes which characterize the modern society. The health sector is one of the industries which have significantly implemented technology. The health sector’s technological applications have been achieved within health information systems. The implementation of technology in this sector has resulted into both positive and negative implications on health

Medical devices are used to mitigate health issues and to maintain an acceptable quality of life (Harrison et al. 2013). Because medical devices are expected to perform without failure,