Patient safety

• What is the primary ethical responsibility of healthcare professionals?

  To prevent harm to patients
• What is the core element of clinical governance related to patient safety?

  Preventing avoidable harms and managing treatment and care risks
• What does HSE stand for in the context of governing bodies?

  Health and Safety Executive
• What is the role of the Care Quality Commission (CQC)?

  To enforce patient and service user health and safety
• What department assists in setting the standards that NHS services must meet?

  Department of Health and Social Care
• What organization is responsible for patient safety in the NHS since April 2013?

  NHS England
• What does the NMC Code of Conduct emphasize regarding patient safety?

  That patient and public safety must not be affected
• What should a healthcare professional do when they encounter situations that risk patient safety?

  Raise concerns immediately
• What is the aim of developing processes and systems in healthcare?

  To make human error less likely
• What is one example of a safety protocol mentioned in the study material?

  WHO surgical safety checklist
• What are the nine rights of medication administration?

  Right client, right medication, right dose, right time, right route, right documentation, right approach, right education, right to refuse
• What is the key to preventing errors in healthcare?

  Recognizing that mistakes cannot be reduced by improving technology alone
• How does the risk of death from a medical error in a hospital compare to that in the airline industry?

  The risk of death from a medical error is one in 300, while in aviation it is one in 10 million
• What are some unsafe actions that can lead to human error?

  Intended/planned, routine poor practice, reckless or malicious actions, mistakes, lapses/slips
• What does the human factors model illustrate about patient care?

  It shows how actions or omissions impact performance and care
• What are the key components of assessment and intervention in patient safety?

  • Use of assessment tools to measure risk of injury (falls)
  • Risk of problems/complications (pressure ulcers, malnutrition)
  • Risk of self-harm or harm to others
  • Observation of condition baseline and changes
  • Early warning scores
  • Appropriate and timely interventions
  • Communication tools
• What are the benefits of simulation training in healthcare?

  • Provides a safe controlled environment for professionals to learn
  • Teaches skills through scenario-based training
  • Improves teamwork through multidisciplinary approaches
  • Includes debriefing for reflection
  • Fosters empathy among healthcare professionals
• What are the take-home points for healthcare professionals regarding patient safety?

  • Work within our scope of practice
  • If you don’t know – don't do!
  • Ask for help!
  • Mandatory training is essential
  • Read policies and protocols
  • Keep up to date by reading journal articles
  • Report any mistakes made