The National Patient Safety Foundation sponsored its annual Patient Safety Awareness Week this year from March 6-12. The week is designed to raise awareness among physicians and patients of safety hazards and safety guards, and this year NPSF focused specifically on reducing readmissions and improving communication between providers and patients. Manisha Shah, vice president of programs at NPSF, says, "Communication is the cornerstone of patient safety."
Ms. Shah says patient safety initiatives are as important for ambulatory surgery centers as they are for hospitals, but can be even more challenging because ASCs often have fewer resources than hospitals to implement and oversee patient safety measures. She suggests ASCs use the following five tools to educate patients about patient safety and empower them to participate in their healthcare.
1. Universal Patient Compact. The Universal Patient Compact is a statement of principles between patient and physician of each party's responsibilities. Among the physicians' responsibilities are openly communicating risks and benefits of procedures, respecting the patient's privacy and being responsive and timely in information and care. Among the patients' responsibilities are learning as much as possible about their condition, sharing a list of medications they're taking and participating in decisions about their care. Ms. Shah says the Compact can be an effective tool for creating physician-patient partnerships.
2. Medication wallet card. Patients can be consumers of safe healthcare by carrying a card listing their medications — what type, how much they take, when they take them and why they're taking them. Having accurate information about their patients' medications allows physicians to provide appropriate treatment. Ms. Shah says wallet cards are an important tool in the ASC setting.
"Having medication wallet cards with current information is one of the core tools of preventing medication errors," she says.
3. Ask Me 3. NPSF encourages patients to ask three essential questions:
a. What is my main problem?
b. What do I need to do?
c. Why is it important for me to do this?
The Ask Me 3 program educates patients through an informational brochure that patients can use to remember important questions to ask when speaking with a healthcare provider.
4. I Speak Cards. Offered by the U.S. Census Bureau, these cards identify the languages a patient speaks. Understanding a patient's language abilities can improve patient safety by helping healthcare providers create effective ways of communicating. Miscommunication is a safety hazard; for instance, 232 adverse events at Pennsylvania hospitals between 2004 and 2010 were caused by language barriers.
5. Written handout prior to procedure. Providing patients with clear verbal and written directions prior to a procedure helps the patient to follow all care instructions. Clearly communicated care plans are particularly important for patients who receive anesthesia, Ms. Shah says. Patients need to understand what the procedure and discharge process entail while they are fully alert. Giving patients written as well as verbal instructions further improves patient safety by ensuring that patients remember their care plan.
Learn more about NPSF.
Read more about patient safety tools:
- ASC Quality Collaboration Releases Infection Prevention Toolkits for Surgery Centers
- AHRQ Issues Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses on Patient Safety and Quality
- Illinois Hospital Report Card Adds Infection Control Data
