Introduction. Definition of healthcare quality, healthcare safety, high reliability and just culture
Quality of health care is the extent to whereby health care services improve the probability of anticipated health results. Healthcare safety encompasses the patient’s well-being and involves healthcare practices in response to the unpredictability of healthcare systems and the increase in patient harm. In a highly reliable healthcare organization, the workforce is more mindful of risks, and systems are becoming more dependable, reducing damage and enhancing clinical results and patient and family experiences. Just culture is a notion of shared responsibility wherein healthcare companies are responsible for the systems they have built and for reacting in a fair and just way to the actions of their personnel. Thus, in a workplace with a fair culture, corporations are responsible for the mechanisms they build and the incident analysis, not the person (Rotteau et al., 2022).
Human errors and their roots in healthcare facilities
Medication mishaps, anesthesia errors, care facility infections, missing or delayed diagnosis, inability to take adequate measures, and technical medical errors are among the common prevalent medical errors. Communication failures are the primary cause of human medical errors, with poor communication frequently leading to medical mistakes. An inadequate flow of information occurs whenever a patient is moved to another institution or released from one department to another, and information does not accompany the patient. Emotional tension is another contributor to human errors. Experts in occupational safety propose that all caregivers understand how to regulate their emotions and engage constructively with other care workers. Fatigue is another primary source of error-proneness among health and social care professionals. One of the most harmful hospital cultures promotes mistake concealment or disregard. Lastly, multitasking raises the possibility of mistakes since this time-saving tactic dramatically increases the danger of mistakenly switching prescriptions, which may have life-threatening consequences (Bindra et al., 2021).
Recommendations to measure and evaluate safe performance
Some of the methods I would encourage my team to implement for Quality improvement are utilizing monitoring expertise to confirm that they are continuously adhering to the appropriate protocol for the right patient and are aware of every patient’s needs. Another effective technique is taming a culture with a strong focus on elevating patient care. All personnel must be immersed in the culture and prioritize patient safety. Healthcare institutions should determine the origin of human mistakes to enhance patient care and decrease risks. Validation of all medical processes contributes to patient safety and includes steps such as confirming drug doses and timing or confirming that a physician follows handwashing protocols (Graban, 2017). The involvement of family and friends is also helpful.
Characteristics/behaviors of healthcare organizations towards high reliability
Some of the recommendations to measure and evaluate safe performance is accessing mortality because it is a critical health outcome indicator for the population, particularly from a clinical standpoint. Hospitals may also monitor what is known as a mortality ratio by correlating mortality, the quarterly rate of patient deaths, to predict mortality. Length of stay (LOS) is a prominent indicator for gaining insight into the utilization of hospital resources and for measuring and understanding the quality of treatment. Safety of care refers to the total number of hospital mishaps that occurred as an unintended consequence of hospital operations or were inadvertent. Too-high occupancy rates affect patient care throughout the hospital, particularly in emergency departments (ED). Inadequate performance in terms of bed occupancy rate and patient safety indicators may have a significant impact on hospital readmissions (Zaadoud & Chbab, 2021).
Leadership skills and traits for the enhancement of quality and safety
Every firm employee with high dependability pays careful attention to operations and is conscious of what is and is not functioning. High-reliability businesses are hesitant to accept straightforward answers for issues. However, by establishing these predetermined admissible responses, there are established barriers that might hinder developing effective, actionable solutions that might enhance the company’s efficiency and get it closer to high dependability. Employees in firms with high dependability are worried about possible failures and must be incentivized to voice their concerns, which might assist departments in developing best practices. Leaders in companies with a high degree of dependability listen to those with the most in-depth understanding of the job. An organization with high dependability is robust against environmental, regulatory, and organizational pressures. These leaders are well-versed in how to react to setbacks and consistently seek out innovative solutions (Kadrie, 2017). Effective leaders should have the technical capability to manage teams and foster a culture that encourages outstanding care, closely correlated with the facility’s core values. Being an empathic leader enables one to comprehend and address the requirements of individuals. A good leader will utilize empathy to comprehend what assistance and guidance their team members require to succeed. Empathy increases rapport. Two fundamental responsibilities of a healthcare leader are making choices and monitoring subordinate decision-makers. A well-crafted choice assists the institution in moving in the correct path. In the healthcare industry, emotional intelligence is of the utmost importance, as it enables leaders to communicate, encourage a team, correct mistakes, and boost efficiency effectively. Technology skills aid in reducing mistakes, preventing bad medication reactions, protecting patient confidentiality, and enhancing overall treatment (Murray, 2017).
Skills and traits that require improvement
I am a tech-savvy, but I am aware that I need to keep updating myself with the current technology skills and innovations. Technology has been changing rapidly, and the skills I might have acquired two years ago might be considered outdated. It would be embarrassing when I have to be trained to use a new operating system by an intern. Thus, I need constantly improve my technology skills. I also require various improvements in my mentorship skills. I have experienced challenges when trusting the right person to do a task. I am used to working as an individual; this weakness is my mentorship skills. I know I should have a team of people to empower me to become better than myself.
References
Bindra, A., Sameera, V., & Rath, G. P. (2021). Human errors and their prevention in healthcare. Journal of Anesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology, 37(3), 328. Web.
Graban, M. (2017). Lean hospitals: Improving quality, patient safety, and employee engagement (3rded.): Productivity Press.
Kadrie, M. (2017). High reliability organization in the healthcare industry: A model of performance excellence and innovation. SOJ Nursing & Health Care, 3(2), 1–9. Web.
Murray, E. J. (2017). Nursing leadership and management for patient safety and quality care. F. A. Davis Company.
Rotteau, L., Goldman, J., Shojania, K. G., Vogus, T. J., Christianson, M., Baker, G. R., Rowland, P., & Coffey, M. (2022). Striving for high reliability in healthcare: A qualitative study of the implementation of a hospital safety programme. BMJ Quality & Safety. Web.
Zaadoud, B., & Chbab, Y. (2021). The performance measurement frameworks in health care: Appropriateness criteria for measuring and evaluating the quality-of-care performance through a systematic review. Management Issues in Healthcare System, 7(1), 11–34. Web.