Every type of medical facility strives to provide quality care for its patients, especially large institutions such as hospitals. Part of providing quality care is keeping patients safe. There are various methods for maintaining and improving patient safety. Improving technology, staffing, and waste management processes are three ways to improve safety that hospitals often overlook. Keep reading to learn more about these tips and how to apply them in your hospital.
Add Patient Monitoring Technology
No matter how well-staffed your hospital is, you can’t keep a physical eye on patients all the time. Patients deserve privacy, even when you’re concerned for their safety. Patient monitoring technology can help maintain that privacy while improving safety. Sensors on beds can alert staff that a patient who is a fall risk is trying to get up on their own and could get hurt. Motion sensors in hallways can alert staff if patients who are a flight risk are trying to leave the ward. Wristbands with bar codes that staff scan throughout shift and room changes keep everyone informed about medication deliveries and location changes.
Take Care of Your Employees
Many hospitals are struggling with staffing issues right now, which makes monitoring technology even more crucial in hospitals. Staffing issues are also a signal that hospital administration needs to take better care of employees, especially nurses. Overworked staff may make mistakes that compromise patient safety because they have so much on their plate. Additionally, your employees may have ideas on how to improve patient safety, but they won’t feel compelled to share these ideas if they believe the administration seems uncaring. Create a kind, caring atmosphere for your employees, and patient safety will improve.
Hire a Turnkey Waste Management Service
The safety of your patients and the surrounding community depends on you properly disposing of the hazardous and non-hazardous waste your hospital creates. You can hire sanitation personnel to help with daily waste management, but they aren’t trained professionals. Hiring a turnkey waste management service that can help with everything from sorting hazardous waste to disposing of off-spec pharmaceuticals is a better choice in the long run. They can start and finish the disposal process for you so that you know your employees, patients, and community are safe.
The tips above can help your hospital improve patient safety and the safety of your employees and community. Prioritizing and improving patient safety will help employees feel safer and allow them to do their jobs better. Prioritizing safety will also help you earn the trust of the community you serve. Everyone wins when patient safety improves.
