Recently, the need to minimize medical errors and system collapse as a reason for patient injury has extensively been recognized. Despite the fact that a lot of effective methods to address this problems exist, a lot of research still has to be done regarding the cause of errors and collapse of systems. This paper provides data on occurrence of clinical errors and evaluates the pragmatic relationship between medical errors and medical malpractices. The paper also presents an analysis of the major contributions that facilitate medical errors, the views of the healthcare professionals in facilitating the safety of patients and recommendations to improve the safety of healthcare.
2.0 INTRODUCTION
2.1 Background
Currently issues regarding medical errors and patient safety have raised a lot of concern to healthcare professionals globally. In the previous decade, substantial number of studies have been undertaken to analyze the prevalence, intensity and causes of a wide spectrum of various types of adverse events in healthcare system, as well as the quality of a number of approaches to enhance patient safety.
2.2 Objectives
The aim of this review is to establish evidence concerning the efficiency of detection, mitigation and measures to minimize the risk factors in hospital. The study is set to recognize and explain the mechanisms of intervention that are responsible for effectiveness.
2.3 Relevance
The study is relevant in that it provides insights and recommendations on reducing medical errors, improving the quality and safety of healthcare services and identifying incidences elevate patient risk. Consequently, the study in relevant since it provides a more appropriate way to describe the causes of medical errors and participation of patient in elimination of these errors as a way of improving healthcare safety
2.4 How the topic will be studied
The topic will be studied by identifying various research projects related to patients safety. The data will be searched in the national library of medicine bibliographic databases among various other sources that are linked to the topic. The findings from the collected data will be analyzed after which deductions and recommendations will be made.
3.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
Improving patient safety needs development a culture of safety and transformation into learning organization. “The culture of safety needs to posses the capacity of quickly addressing patient safety issues via information sharing and learning from the previous experiences Institute of Medicine , 2004)”. Patient safety has been embraced as a discipline concerned with reporting, assessing and reducing medical errors that eventually results to healthcare problems. “The rate of recurrence and the magnitude of inevitable adverse problems of patients was not well identified until in the early 1990s, when a number of states reporting a substantial number of patients that were either harmed or died due to medical errors (Brennan T, A et al 1991)”.
A lot is supposed to be done in order to improve the health and safety of patients and also manage the errors and risks in healthcare, the current procedures are fragmented and not even a single comprehensive source of information regarding what goes wrong is available. “Therefore, it’s very important to develop an integrated framework of management of safety, quality and risk (Vries et al 2008)”. It’s also necessary to incorporate this with information and risk management system that is focused on a global patient safety classification.
4.0 METHODOLOGY
Various literature databases were examined following a predefined search strategy. Data was drawn from regional database gathering claims and demands for compensation affirmed by patients hospitalized in regional healthcare systems and regional archives gathering hospital discharge records. To mold the variability of clinical error rate, minimal detrimental regression and root cause models were used. Regression tree methodology was utilized in order to improve the interpretation of results. “The root cause analysis is inappropriate for determining occurrence of errors it capable of leading the changes that inhibit the occurrence of such errors (Dillman, 2000)”.
4.1 Limitations
The level of facts for majority of the ideas presented in this paper is from uncontrolled or observational studies and few concerned studies would meet the requirements a high eminence of evidence. Since this paper is narrative, various significant studies might have been missed. An organized review was not done due to the dearth of methodologically substantial research of the participation of patient in minimizing medical errors.
5.0 ANALYSIS OF DATA
There is low priority concerning reducing medical errors and enhancing patient safety within the healthcare system. Generally there is systematic insufficiency of awareness of the issue of healthcare safety. “Even though a lot of medical professionals admit that there are a lot of errors that occur; they hardly admit that the errors happen at their work place (Sevdalis et al 2009)”
Despite the advancement in the quality of healthcare and patient safety measures, it’s alarming that many actions are not supported by concrete evidence. Patients, health service providers and payers need to have confidence that the quality care of the patient need to be accurate. In many circumstances, it’s quite challenging to develop and implement patient safety measures. This is because a number of stakeholders are involved and it’s difficult to gather them in one measure.
Measures to enhance safety of patients are now a matter of international priority in the health service sector. There are a number of established frameworks that provide scientifically sound yet feasible models to evaluate the progress in the safety.” This include such things as improve healthcare system culture, dialogue from identifying and mitigating hazards and links between features of the organization and the safety of patient Catalano & Fickenscher , 2008).”
6.0 FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
6.1 Recommendations
“There is need for rigorous qualitative research on patients safety has been recognized no only as an existing methodological gap but also as a strategy that would attract more fields for research Kohn et al (2000).” It’s also important to develop a framework of research and improvement for safety of patient that will be able to address the immerging issues regarding high quality and effective health care.
There is need to increase patient participation in healthcare in order to minimize errors and improve their safety. Nevertheless, a lot of factors related to patients and healthcare workers determine the efficacy and implementation. The use of patient participation to minimize medical errors and boost staff adherence with maximal practice is promising and further studies are required (Anderson et al 2006). There are various obstacles that have been experienced at the levels of patients, health service providers and healthcare facilities. Given to the contentious nature of the subject scrupulous studies need to be undertaken so as to fill the inherent questioning of the concept
6.2 Findings
A large variety of data sources existing within the healthcare system have the potential to provide information concerning safety of patients. “The poor quality in the coding process, the delays in the reports reaching the databases, minimal focus on some data sources and minimal collection of data are some of the identified barriers in enhancing the safety of patients and reducing medical error (Abdi et al 2011)”. The finding implied that the rate of readmission for the similar chief diagnostic category and the rate of discharge alongside medical guidance has a major impact on the incidences of errors leading to death of patients where as the rate of unplanned surgical readmission in the operation rooms significantly impacts on the rate of surgical errors. The practice of patient safety enhancement magnificently evolved over the last decades.
The finding reflects both primary safety research in the healthcare setting and a growing appreciation for safety science developed in the healthcare settings. Conversely a lot of data suggest that the largest percentage of medical errors has been associated with failure of the healthcare system thereby undermining accuracy of processes and investigation. “Human factors such negligence and ignorance of the medical personnel has led to lack of safety in the healthcare system (Smits et al 2010).”
6.3 Conclusion
Research evidence concerning medical errors and patient safety remain limited in healthcare system. Although a number of published studies primarily report on positive impact, the assortment of the gathered information has made it problematic to integrate studies quantitatively and qualitatively. Therefore, It’s quit challenging for formulate appropriate recommendation for future amendments to healthcare professional and policy makers.
Despite that a number of frameworks have been developed to reduce medical errors and enhance the safety of patients, significant challenges exist for patient safety research and improvement efforts. Some of the challenges include the necessity to establish and build capacity within a number of researchers, implementation of research infrastructure and analysis of the cost benefit ratio of safety improvement efforts.
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7.0 REFERENCE
Abdi Z, Maleki MR, Khosravi A(2011): Perceptions of patient safety culture among staff of selected hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences : Payesh , 10(4):411-19.
Anderson JG, Ramanujam R, Hensel D, Anderson MM, Sirio CA (2006): The need for organizational change in patient safety initiatives : Int J Med Inform , 75(12):809-817
Brennan T, A et al 1991. Incidence of adverse events and negligence in hospitalized patients. Results of the Harvard Medical Practice Study I : N Engl J Med , 324:370-376
Catalano K & Fickenscher K(2008). Complying with the 2008 National Patient Safety Goals: AORN Journal. 87(3):547-56.
Dillman DA(2000) Mail and internet surveys: The tailored design method. New York: John Wiley & Sons;
Institute of Medicine (2004). Patient safety: Achieving a new standard of care. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press;
Kohn L, Corrigan J, Donaldson M, (2000). To err is human: Building a safer health system. Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC: National Academies Press
Sevdalis N, Norris B, Ranger C, Bothwell S, Wristband Project Team (2009). Designing evidence-based patient safety interventions: the case of the UK ‘s National Health Service hospital wristbands: Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. 15(2):316-22.
Smits M, Zegers M, Groenewegen P, Timmermans DRM, Zwaan L, van der Wal G, Wagner C(2010): Exploring the causes of adverse events in hospitals and potential prevention strategies: Qual Saf Health Care , 19(5):e5
Vries E, Ramrattan MA, Smorenburg SM, Gouma DJ, Boermeester MA (2008): The incidence and nature of in-hospital adverse events: a systematic review : Qual Saf Health Care 17:216-223
