Patient Safety Patient safety issues fall into several categories: Wrong-Site Surgery, Medication Errors, Health Care-Acquired Infections, Falls, Readmissions , and Diagnostic Errors.

Task Module 2
Task: Patient Safety
Patient safety issues fall into several categories: Wrong-Site Surgery, Medication Errors, Health Care-Acquired Infections, Falls, Readmissions , and Diagnostic Errors.
Step 1
Let’s take a look at some common safety issues.
Use these resources to learn more about patient safety issues in each category. Then investigate actual safety issues in the field.
http://www.jointcommission.org/sentinel_event.aspx
Read Ch. 11 of The Healthcare Quality Book: Vision, Strategy and Tools
Read Ch. 8 of Managerial Ethics in Healthcare: A New Perspective
Review AHRQ’s Patient Safety Primer
Read Error Reduction in Health Care: A Systems Approach to Improving Patient Safety, Second Edition
Guiding Questions
What categories do safety issue fall into?
List safety issues.
Who is at fault?
How could the safety issue have been prevented?
Step 2: Go on a Field Trip
Now, visit a healthcare setting such as a community hospital, large urban health center, or long term care facility.
First make an appointment to talk to the Healthcare Administrator.
Before your appointment, sit in an area of the hospital open to visitors for at least 30 min and watch the activity.
What do you observe about how the hospital operates?
Who do you see?
Do you notice any issues that could lead it issues with safety?
What about patient confidentiality and safety of patient information?
Interview the healthcare administrator about patient safety and quality care.
What issues do they have?
What special practices do they have in place to ensure safety and quality?
Assignment:
Submit answers to the guiding questions in Step 1 and 2.

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