Responded to at least two classmates as scheduled (100 – 200 words)
using critical thinking. No additional reference is required.
Please respond to Destiny’s following post:
In healthcare, patient safety is paramount to achieving positive outcomes and reducing risks. The 2024 National Patient Safety Goal I choose to discuss focuses on improving the accuracy of patient identification, highlighting its critical role in safe and effective care delivery. Accurate patient identification is essential to prevent errors such as medication mix-ups and incorrect procedures, which can have severe consequences for patients. By implementing thorough identification protocols, healthcare providers ensure that each patient receives the right treatment at the right time, promoting a culture of safety and trust in healthcare settings (The Joint Commission, 2024).
Accurate patient identification is fundamental in nursing practice to prevent medical errors and ensure patient safety. Nurses, who are often the first point of contact in patient care, must verify patient identity before administering any medications or treatments, using at least two identifiers like the patient’s name and date of birth. This practice significantly reduces the likelihood of errors and enhances the overall quality of care. However, implementing these protocols can pose challenges, such as resistance to change from staff and the need for additional training and resources. Despite these challenges, the benefits are substantial. Proper application of patient identification protocols ensures that each patient receives appropriate and timely care, thereby reducing negative outcomes and fostering a safer healthcare environment (Romano et al., 2021).
Please respond to Katie’s following post:
I have selected the Hospital: 2024 National Patient Safety Goals chapter for this discussion post, as I am currently employed for a med/surg unit for a hospital. While there are several goals that I align with and strive to achieve, the one that really stands out to me on a personal level is NPSG.16.01.01, which discusses improving health care equity and reducing health care disparities. I have not discussed this previously, but I am part of the LGBTQ+ community. Because of my involvement in the community and how it affects my life every day, I find myself striving to create an environment that is safe, open, and trusting between myself and my patients and families. This doesn’t just include those that are part of my community, but includes the populations that are vulnerable, such as those with chronic mental health conditions, racial and ethnic minorities, and people who are homeless, to name a few (Open Resources for Nursing, 2022). It’s important for us as nurses to bridge the gap between ourselves and our patients and being an advocate for those who are at the highest risk for health care disparities, and we can do this by asking culturally sensitive questions, being open and communicative, and being empathetic and compassionate towards one another. By improving health care equity, we can reduce health disparities that occur with vulnerable patient populations.
At an organizational level, reducing health disparities allows for more patients to be comfortable with utilizing the services of that organization and could draw more funding for furthering health care technologies and improving systems and processes already in place. It also allows for increased patient and staff satisfaction and can help improve the quality of care being given and the quality of the work environment. However, there are a few challenges. Additional education and support would be necessary to help those who may face difficulties with health equity, which would require additional funding and staffing to establish. There are also circumstances where staff members are not willing to be more open and accepting of others, such as those who are do not agree with the lifestyle of an LGBTQ+ person, and this would prove to be an issue in the case of reducing health care disparities and delivery between the nurse and the patient.
Unfortunately, communities of minorities experience a high level of distrust, discrimination, and a lacking relationship between themselves and providers, which fosters a negative environment of health inequity (Salisu et al., 2023). Because of this, these patients are less willing to seek out medical treatment for an illness or a chronic condition, which can result in catastrophic outcomes. For example, in the rural south, those who are people of color have been proven to experience higher death rates and higher incidences of disease compared to white populations (Miller & Vasan, 2021). By utilizing NPSG.16.01.01, nurses can bring faith and hope back to those who may have had negative medical experiences in the past and can be the catalyst for change in those who would otherwise not go to the doctor or the hospital. Incorporating health equity in our day-to-day practice should not be an option; instead, it should be a part of our standard of care.
