What are the Standards for Patient Care?

How do healthcare professionals ensure standard care?

Care standards are key principles in healthcare. These standards serve as benchmarks for evaluating whether the professional obligations of healthcare professionals and healthcare providers have been fulfilled. The exact requirements for each clinical practice vary according to the legal frameworks governing specific regions and states.

Failure to meet these standards can result in medical malpractice claims, where patients seek compensation for damages. Furthermore, health care services that fail to uphold these standards may be considered negligent. Such incidents highlight the importance of continuous quality improvement and adherence to protocols to enhance patient safety and minimize patient harm (Vanderpool, 2021).

It is essential to note that while the standard of care strives for optimal performance, it encompasses a spectrum that ranges from minimally acceptable levels to exemplary medical practices. This distinction highlights the need for constant vigilance and quality assurance in health services.

Ethical practice

Ethical practice forms the cornerstone of quality healthcare delivery and patient safety. Healthcare professionals must adhere to fundamental ethical principles, including respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. These principles guide decision-making processes and ensure that patient rights and dignity are protected throughout their care journey.

Healthcare providers must obtain informed consent before procedures, maintain patient confidentiality, and respect cultural and religious beliefs that may impact treatment decisions.

Hygiene

Hygiene is pivotal for improving patient safety, particularly in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Contaminated hands are a significant pathway for transmitting pathogens, making hand hygiene essential. The World Health Organization (WHO) advocates a five-component strategy for effective hand hygiene that is adaptable to various healthcare settings.

Key components of effective hygiene protocols include:

• Hygiene supplies: Ensuring adequate access to hand sanitizers, soap, and clean water
• Training and education: Providing comprehensive instruction to healthcare professionals on proper hygiene techniques
• Compliance checks: Regular monitoring and assessment of hygiene practices
• Reminders: Visual cues and prompts to encourage consistent hand hygiene
• Safety culture: Fostering an organizational environment that prioritizes hygiene and infection control

Additional measures, such as patient involvement, can also be incorporated based on local needs and resources (World Health Organization, 2009).

Personal protective equipment

Appropriately using PPE is integral to safeguarding both patients and healthcare professionals from infectious agents, directly contributing to improved patient safety and health outcomes. PPE includes gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection, all of which are selected based on the exposure risks.

Regular training and resource management ensure compliance with national patient safety goals, enabling healthcare providers to maintain healthcare quality and minimize the likelihood of patient harm during outbreaks or routine care. Each state, organization and service establish their own PPE guidelines that must be adhered to, these are specific to the care and services provided (Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, 2023).

Patient placement

Patient placement refers to the process of assigning patients to appropriate beds or areas within a healthcare facility to minimize the risk of infection transmission. Proper placement is crucial for patient safety, as it helps prevent the spread of infectious conditions between patients and healthcare workers. Ensuring timely and suitable bed allocation reduces the likelihood of cross-contamination, particularly in environments where patients may have infectious diseases (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, n.d).

Decisions about patient placement are based on relevant surrounding circumstances, such as the patient’s condition and potential transmission risks. Clear communication among health care providers is crucial to implementing these strategies effectively, ensuring compliance with safety protocols, and enhancing health care quality.

Equipment/instrument handling

Proper handling of medical equipment is crucial for patient safety. Sterile products rely on effective sterilization, proper decontamination, and packaging. Central processing ensures quality control, reducing infection risks and preserving instrument value.

Reusable instruments must be cleaned and sterilized after each use, while single-use devices are discarded. Consistent sterilization practices, guided by professional standards, are crucial for preventing infections in all healthcare settings (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008).

Injection safety

Injection safety is crucial for preventing patient harm and ensuring the safe administration of medication. Key practices include using sterile needles and syringes for every injection, adhering to aseptic techniques, and properly disposing of sharps in designated containers. These measures are crucial in reducing the risk of several diseases, including hepatitis C and B, bacterial and fungal infections, and, in some cases, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024).

How do healthcare professionals treat patients?

In treating and interacting with patients, it is important to uphold the following principles:

Respect your patients

Healthcare professionals must demonstrate respect, empathy, and attentiveness to foster positive relationships with patients. A non-judgmental attitude, recognizing and valuing each patient's individuality, background, and needs, is essential. Patient-centered care in human services ensures patients feel heard and understood. Thus, it's important to acknowledge their uniqueness.

Consider a busy emergency department during flu season where you're treating your fifteenth patient with similar symptoms in a single shift. The patient appears anxious and continues to ask the same questions about their condition, despite your explanations.

While it may feel repetitive and you're under time pressure to see other patients, maintaining empathy and patience is crucial. Taking a moment to sit down, make eye contact, and acknowledge their concerns, such as saying, "I understand this is frightening for you, let me explain this once more," can shift the patient experience and ensure they feel genuinely cared for rather than processed through a system.

Protect your patients

Respecting patient privacy is fundamental in healthcare practice. Professionals must safeguard personal information and ensure confidentiality in both verbal communication and electronic records. This includes obtaining explicit consent before sharing details and limiting disclosure to only what is necessary and relevant.

Patient privacy extends beyond simple confidentiality to cover informed consent for all aspects of care, including the use of technology in healthcare delivery.

For instance, if a practitioner uses an AI scribe tool to transcribe telehealth sessions, they must first obtain informed consent from their client through proper informed consent forms. Although the transcription will remain secure and confidential, it is nevertheless important to be transparent about the nature of patient/provider conversations and any third-party tools or services that may process their health information.

Empower your patients

Professionals should empower patients to make informed decisions by providing all relevant information and discussing treatment options openly and transparently. Patients must feel supported and given the space to ask questions and actively participate in decisions about their care. Upholding dignity involves honoring patient preferences, offering choices, and addressing emotional and psychological needs.

Balancing professionalism, compassion, and respect for privacy fosters a healthcare environment where patients feel safe, valued, and respected. This approach fosters trust and promotes positive outcomes, thereby strengthening the relationships between healthcare providers and patients.

Key takeaways

The following are the main takeaways and reminders for healthcare practitioners:

• Patient safety in the healthcare system: Standards guide healthcare practices to ensure the safety and well-being of patients. Adhering to these standards minimizes harm and promotes consistent, high-quality care, fostering a safer healthcare environment for everyone involved.
• Hygiene and infection control: The WHO’s hand hygiene strategy helps prevent healthcare-associated infections and enhances health outcomes. Proper hygiene, including handwashing and surface cleaning, reduces pathogen transmission and promotes a safer, healthier environment for both patients and healthcare workers.
• PPE and respiratory etiquette: The correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE) helps protect against cross-contamination and infectious agents. Respiratory etiquette, including the use of masks and proper sneezing techniques, reduces the risk of airborne infections and is crucial in preventing the spread of diseases, especially during outbreaks.
• Patient placement and equipment handling: Strategic patient placement in designated areas reduces the spread of infections and ensures patient safety. Proper handling, sterilization, and cleaning of medical equipment are crucial to preventing infections, ensuring patient safety, and enhancing health outcomes through reliable and effective care.
• Patient care and ethical practice: Respect, empathy, and clear communication build trust and improve patient care. Upholding patient autonomy, ensuring privacy, and maintaining confidentiality are essential aspects of ethical practice, which fosters a supportive patient environment and promotes positive healthcare experiences.

References

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (n.d). Ensuring appropriate patient placement.  https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/infection-prevention-and-control/ensuring-appropriate-patient-placement

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Safe injection practices and your health.  https://www.cdc.gov/injection-safety/about/index.html#:~:text=Unsafe%20injection%20practices%20can%20be,inform%20them%20to%20get%20tested.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). Sterilizing practices. https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/disinfection-sterilization/sterilizing-practices.html

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust. (2023). Personal protective equipment for use in healthcare. https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Personal-Protective-Equipment-for-Use-in-Healthcare-Policy-exp-June-26.pdf

Vanderpool, D. (2021). The standard of care. Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, 18(7-9), 50. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34980995/

World Health Organization. (2009). WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care: First global patient safety challenge clean care is safer care. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK144032/