Patient Safety Awareness Week: Keeping Your Patients Protected

Patient safety awareness is a critical aspect of the healthcare system and emphasizes the importance of keeping your patients safe. This practice actively engages with patients in their healthcare process and creates awareness around risks and safety concerns that could be mitigated or avoided outright. 

According to a John Hopkins study, over 250,000 people each year either die or are seriously injured due to medical error or preventable harm in a medical establishment. We hope that creating awareness around these issues and actively involving your patients in the healthcare process can improve the quality of care and improve lives. 

What is Patient Safety Awareness Week? 

Patient Safety Awareness Week is a yearly celebration in March aimed at raising awareness and advancing patient safety practices. Not only does this help patients understand what to look out for, but it encourages healthcare providers to focus on preventing avoidable harm to patients. 

Patient safety is the top priority of every medical establishment and Patient Safety Awareness Week promotes the importance of patient safety, improves the adoption of best practices, and helps teams create strategies around preventing what could have been preventable harm. 

What are the Most Common Patient Safety Issues?

The most common patient safety issues include medication errors, falls, hospital-acquired infections, misdiagnosis, and surgical errors. Providing a patient with the wrong medication can lead to escalated issues down the road as the current issue goes untreated while potentially introducing an entirely new problem to the equation. 

Falls in a hospital are typically attributed to unattended patients that should have someone escorting them somewhere to reduce the chances of them falling in the first place. Hospital acquired infections are caused from lack of care and attention. One sloppy procedure or forgotten task could lead to patient problems in the future. 

Misdiagnosis falls under a similar umbrella, creating two problems from one mistake. Not only is the initial diagnosis and following treatment wrong, but the incorrect treatment may lead to new issues.

Surgical issues are one of the more difficult hazards to avoid, as surgery is difficult and requires highly-trained professionals to successfully pull off. However, there is always something we could be doing to improve the surgery success rate, from more careful monitoring and preparation to better aftercare. 

Healthcare Patient Advocacy with Missouri Ambulance Association

Patient safety is our number one concern and something we take very seriously. When you are receiving care anywhere in Missouri, you should feel safe knowing that you are being handled by a skilled professional. Missouri Ambulance Association is a leading patient advocate and continues to educate our staff and other medical associations around best practices for patient safety. Your patients leave their life in your hands, it’s up to you to provide them with the best care possible.