Medline, a global medical supplies company that offers products, clinical solutions, and education to help improve patient safety, has released five tips for improving patient safety.
The first is to enhance communication. Communication failures have been linked to 1,744 patient deaths in five years and $1.7 billion in malpractice costs. Healthcare organizations must consider techniques to enhance how members of the care team communicate with each other and also with their patients, said Medline.
Second, Medline advises approaching infection prevention differently. The annual cost of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) is more than $1 billion. The cost per patient is more than $16,000.
“Knowing that vascular access devices are the most frequent cause of healthcare-associated bloodstream infections, clinicians can’t always count on ‘scrub the hub’ technique for prepping the line for entry,” said Medline.
The company also recommended investing in products to help prevent falls: vibrant color-coded gowns and gripper slipper socks to easily denote patients at risk of falling.
Patient care can suffer when healthcare workers are injured, so Medline also advises ensuring your workforce can work safely. “Healthcare organizations can establish safe patient handling programs to train staff on how to use the lifting equipment and proper way to move and position patients,” said Medline.
“To help increase hand hygiene compliance rates, consider hand hygiene compliance programs that introduce proper products bundled with education.”
Finally, Medline advises that you never stop learning.
“Safety is a cornerstone of a hospital’s success and requires everyone’s participation—organizational leaders, caregivers, vendors and patients,” said Martie Moore, Medline’s chief nursing officer.
“Healthcare workers are the eyes and ears of patients, but in order to establish a culture of safety, they require proper tools and ongoing education.”
Medline, Medical Supplies, Patient Safety, US
