The Importance Of Staff Training And Education

Providing the best care to each patient starts with providing the proper amount of staff members to each unit. Looking at the needs of different units not only allows administration to see areas for improvement, but also areas that are being handled correctly. Utilizing the indicators provided by The Joint Commission, 4 East, a pediatric medical/surgical floor, has a high rate of falls and nosocomial pressure ulcers that appears to be related to the increase overtime nurses have been working for that floor (Nightingale, 2010). Research has shown increases in adverse events have been related to nurses working over 40 hours a week (Bae, 2012).

One of the most critical factors which contribute to the number of preventable cases of healthcare harm is the culture of silence surrounding these cases. The fear of medical providers to report incidences is related to the possibility of punishment and liability due to a medical error (Discovery, 2010). The criminalization of some acts of medical error has resulted in job dismissal, criminal charges and jail time for some healthcare workers. This is despite the fact that the system they are working in helped to create the situation which led to the error in the first place. Human error, due to fatigue and system errors can result in deadly consequences, but by criminalizing the error it effectively shuts down the ability to correct the root problem. Healthcare workers, working at all levels within the medical system, can provide valuable input on how to improve the processes and prevent harm from occurring (Discovery, 2010).

Every one of us has relied on a medical professional at least a few times in our lives. When we get seriously ill, or suffer a serious injury, we put our health in the hands of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, fully expecting to be treated with a certain degree of professionalism and safety. Unfortunately, sometimes the expected care is not given, or not given to the extent which the ailment requires. In these situations, we can feel blindsided, confused, even taken advantage of.

In the article, Introducing incident reporting in primary care: a translation from safety science into medical practice, the authors speak of how most reported incidents were ones that caused little or no injury to the patient. They found those providing care were able to deal with these incidents more

We then look at the errors of hazards that occurred in the Mr. B scenario.  Though we can say understaffing may have contributed to Mr. B’s demise, we cannot blame understaffing. This scenario is regrettably connected to inattentive nursing practice. It is clear that respiratory therapist was in the building and

Neither staff member identified the downward trending of the patients available vital signs and did not evaluate consciousness of the patient. Failure to assess appropriately and recognize deterioration of the patient resulted in a prolonged period of time in which the patient was not adequately oxygenated. Research has shown that short staffing, with decreased nurse to patient ratio, has been found to be associated with increased mortality (Aiken, Clarke, Sloane, Sochalski, & Silber, 2002; Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, 2005; Needleman, Buerhaus, PKankratz, Leibson, Stevens, & Harris, 2011). This reinforces the need to match staffing with patient census, acuity, and need for nursing care.

Over the last 15 years or so a number of cases concerning patient care and safety have come to light prompting investigations and inquiries that have led to changes in the way care is delivered. These include inquiries at Winterbourne View hospital, Mid-Staffordshire hospital(Mid staffs) and Harold shipman to name a few.

As with all emergency situations we attend our number one priority is safety and being aware of any potential danger on scene. Responsibility for safety is everybody’s individual duty and covers myself, my colleagues, the patient, relatives and any other agencies attending the scene. The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) states I should take reasonable care for my own health and safety and also for others who may be affected by my actions or omissions. At this particular incident everything was safe.

Review of the Utah and Minnesota Incident reporting mandates provided various state statutes and reporting responsibilities to the state’s government and regulatory agencies. Reports of adverse events must be reported in various methods among states. For example, Utah and Minnesota require each individual facility, hospital, outpatient centers, and clinics, to report the adverse events that occur at the particular facility. Specifically, in Minnesota if the Boards that regulate physicians, nurses, podiatrist, physician assistants, and/or pharmacists are aware of an adverse event, the specific board holds the responsibility to report the events to the Minnesota Department of Health. Adverse events consist of defined elements within states in the categories of surgical, product or device, patient protection, case management, environmental, and potential criminal events, essentially providing events that produce irreversible patient harm. However, differences among these two states exist as Utah provides more specific descriptions in the case management events involving

Patient Y stated that prior to her referral to the Accident and Emergency department she had become

Even though I did not see or hear the nurse bring up an issue about the patient’s safety before, during or after the procedure, I am sure she was actively monitoring the patient and the surrounding situation for harm. As a future nurse, I have been made aware of the need to identify and correct unsafe practices or procedures in order to improve the patient’s experience and prevent unnecessary harm.

Upon arrival, I made contact with Ms. Celya Hildreth the charge nurse and Ms. Carrissa Akins patient care tech. I asked medical staff what happened.

Lisa brings a wealth of experience to her new role. Most recently, she served as the Director of Patient Safety at WPH, and previously as a system-wide member of the Patient Safety team. Prior to her current role, Lisa’s career began as a staff nurse in the Medical Surgical ICU at St. Francis. She practiced in North Carolina and worked as staff and department educator in Critical Care

The reasons why it is important for staff to have a complete understanding in their organization is that is you do not understand ones' goal you can not achieve it. Quality normally reflects the values and goals of an organization (Burns, Bradley, & Weiner, 2011). There has to be clear quality measures set and presented to all staff. It is important to have clear understanding of how quality effects each employee and patient. The organization that communities and defines what quality means to them and promotes participation will see more employee engagement as a whole. Quality improvement requires full participation and a clear understanding before change can occur.

A continuous concern that continues to present itself within the healthcare environment is adequate staffing on nursing units. Most hospital organizations try their very best to accommodate staffing needs, though many units remain understaffed for an unspecified amount of time. Inadequate staffing can negatively affect patient outcomes, lead to nurse burnout, and decrease patient satisfaction scores. Combating this issue will require a great deal of effort, as many geographical face nursing shortages when seeking new graduates and qualified candidates. Employees may begin to feel that they are unable to pursue personal goals within a healthcare organization, due to inability to transfer as a result of staffing shortages. This often results in nursing seeking employment or career advancement outside of the organization or geographical area, which further intensifies ramification associated with inadequate staffing.