Workarounds In Healthcare Organizations

The Healthcare field is becoming more aware of how important it is to change the way that organizational culture is becoming in order to help improve patient safety. Even though patient safety plays a very important part of our health care system which helps explain the importance quality of health care. However, when trying to keep patients safe, it can be a demanding challenge because of human errors and mistakes that are made. According to World Health Organization, patient safety is the absence of preventable harm to a patient while in the process of health care (who.int/patientsafety). Being in the position of a clinical content manager, the first step in reporting problems is to make sure that when reporting a problem, it need to be done at the earliest stage to show the importance to the company. The approach that I would take as a Clinical content manager is to identify the problem, have regular shift meetings to address any issues, flag any errors that occurred, have regular safety meeting, give feedback to staff on any errors that were found, try to figure out the best solution not only for the patients, but staff also, and although being a team leader, I would give the staff the opportunity to address any concerns that they may have.

The Canadian Health Information Management Association Code of Ethics outlines a powerful standard for Health Information Management Professionals. When one becomes a member of CHIMA along comes the responsibility of following the code of ethics as faithfully and professionally as possible. Although the interpretation of the guidelines can vary among individuals and organizations, the basis and underlying meaning of each code should be synonymous. The ten codes set general expectations for HIM professionals that help the public understand the ethical views of CHIMA. With these ethics in place we are able to decrease the number of breaches, improve data quality and encourage lifelong learning. There are a number of breaches that occur in healthcare settings that go unreported on a daily basis. The reason for these cases going unreported could be the lack of knowledge of severity and consequences, or have a malicious intent. The case study is a definite breach of the CHIMA code of ethics- and could fall into numbers 1-10, but in my opinion is more relevant to numbers 2-3, 5-7 and 9. Jane should have acted in a more proactive manner reflecting CHIMA values and informed the appropriate individuals so that they correct actions could be made.

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).

I also find myself frustrated with those who do not follow the polies and procedures of my hospital. As I stated before, I am a rule follower and get very uncomfortable if I am asked to perform a task that does not follow policy or see others not following policy. I find that the staff are the largest offenders of this were trained at other institutions or travel nurses. Travelers get very limited orientation and may have been trained elsewhere in a way that does not follow my institution’s policies, and I see some not looking up the policies of the hospital they are currently working at prior to performing tasks. I do not agree with this practice at all. I feel that policies and procedures are in place to protect the institution, its staff, the patients, and

To assure quality and to promote a culture of safety, health care organizations must address the problem of behaviors that threaten the performance of the health care team.

There are laws in place that protect a patient in the health care setting. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 or HIPAA, as it is known in the healthcare field, was designed to protect the privacy,confidentiality and security of patient information (Pozgar, 2013).Employees the health care field are very aware of HIPAA and the rights of their patients. All staff knows that patient information can only be discussed with qualified individuals on a need to know basis. Speaking about cases outside of work is strictly prohibited. Photography or recording of any patient interaction is also a breach of a patient's rights as well. The problem with this is that there are many policies in place to protect the

One of the primary goals of patient care has been safety for a long time. How patient safety is regulated has changed throughout history. Between 1917 and 1918, the American College of Surgeons developed The Minimum Standards for Hospitals which was a one page document that lead to The Joint Commission (TJC, 2014). Founded in 1951 with accreditation beginning January 1953, TJC is currently the oldest and largest organizations setting standards for patient safety (TJC, 2014). The American College of Surgeons required ethics for physicians in 1951 (TJC, 2014). Today TJC and other credentialing organizations require all staff, clinical or not, to participant in patient safety goals. Regardless of the organization you work for, patient safety will

Over the last several years, a wide variety of health care organizations have been facing a number of challenges. This is because of pressures associated with: rising costs, increasing demands and larger numbers of patients. For many facilities this has created a situation where patient safety issues are often overlooked. This is because the staff is facing tremendous amounts of pressure, long hours and more patients. The combination of these factors has created a situation where a variety of hospitals need to improve their patient safety procedures. In the case of Sharp Memorial Hospital, they are focused on addressing these issues through different strategies. To fully understand how they are able to achieve these objectives requires looking at: specific ways the organization has responded to the crisis in medical errors, their definition of patient safety, the causes of errors, systematic barriers and transformations that have been adopted. Together, these different elements will provide the greatest insights as to how the facility is coping with the crisis in patient safety.

I will not alter any facts or rules just for personal benefit or gain, and will always be dependable, trustworthy and reliable for the organization. I promise to build my reputation only on the basis of merit, and nothing else. I strongly believe that in order to receive fair treatment from others, it is very important to demonstrate that within yourself first. Thus, I try my best to be polite and respectful to everyone I meet. This ensures that I don't add to anyone's problems, if any, and provides for polite interaction with everyone I encounter. With integrity comes courage. I will never hesitate to stand up for what is right, and I will do so even if I am in a difficult situation that demands me to ignore my personal feelings. I will always support the truth and never let anyone influence me to do otherwise. I will not give in to peer pressure and will never let the fear of failing affect my actions. I would like to conclude by saying that it is the responsibility of every healthcare administrator to abide by a code of ethics in healthcare that will benefit not only themselves, but also their working environment, and society as a whole. My list of personal ethics will definitely help me fulfill my responsibility as a healthcare

In the healthcare industry accountability displays responsibility, honesty, and hard work. Employer’s count on employees to display these duties everyday in order to have an productive organization accountability must be instilled within every employee. Throughout the healthcare field there are several patients that need attention employees must be able to provide this as well as take responsibility for their mistakes which often happens when working in healthcare. This paper will discuss a few points about accountability such as the importance of accountability in healthcare, how are employees

As an effective and ethical leader, it is of most importance that they create and foster an ethically principled environment. In this scenario, the importance of patient confidentiality would be identified and addressed with all staff members of the health team. Ethical behaviors would be discussed with each team member in order to ensure that the healthcare needs of the patient are met as well as their privacy protected. A new process would be implemented so that patients would be identified by assigned numbers instead of identified by name. Also it would be enforced that no patient be treated in an open area unless some

Do not discuss patients while you are in public areas. When medical records are not in use, they should be put away. Never remove the patient's official medical record from your office. You should not leave records out where your family members or others may see it. If any copies are made and not used they should be shredded.

Healthcare executives have ethical and professional obligation to their employees which increases their levels of integrity. These consist of creating a work environment that upholds and mirrors ethical conduct. As a future healthcare administrator/executive, I will use nine simple ways to demonstrate integrity in the workplace. They are building trusting and respectful relationships, communicating openly and honestly, following company policies, demonstrating responsible behavior, working diligently, admitting and learning from mistakes, leading by example, standing up for my beliefs, and having my own identity. A great way to build integrity is to build trusting and respectful relationships. Trust and respect are the ingredients of a healthy, positive workplace culture. Polite communication, respecting your colleague’s thoughts and ideas and continuously working on relationships demonstrates that you

Other concerns are conversations within the hospital cafeterias/lobbies about patients and their families, and employees sharing information throughout the hallways without a “need to know.” Once employees discover their colleagues looking at patient information without a “need to know basis,” and, other wrong doings according to the agency’s standards, their own sense of what is right and wrong instantly comes into question. Reporting the unethical behavior, the employee who had discovered the violations of patient rights is presented with a number of difficult choices. The legal basis for imposing liability for a breach of confidentiality is more extensive than ethical guidelines, which dictate the morally right thing to do.

Human factors include organisational, environmental and job factors, and human and individual characteristics. These factors influence the behaviour at work which can influence people’s health and safety (Human Factors in Patient Safety Review of Topics and Tools, 2009). Work performance determines the quality and quantity of work expected from each employee. Acknowledgement of the relationship between human factors, work performance, patient safety and quality in healthcare can promote a positive work environment. This