The Importance Of Patient Safety Umbrellas In Health Care

The patient safety umbrella covers multiple portions of the health care industry and can include such issues as: falls, medication errors, wrong site surgery, pressure ulcers, and transitions of care (Jayanthi, 2014). As new problems arise in a hospital or patient care setting they are often pushed under the patient safety umbrella. At a local university medical center, there are almost 3,000 patient safety policies (JH, personal communication, April 30, 2016). Additionally, this medical center subscribes to a policy database service which has almost 1000 different procedures for patient safety, with approximately 100 different checklists, and over 75 quick lists (JH, personal communication, April 30, 2016). This one medical center illustrates the size and complexity of this policy category. Other hospitals struggle with this mass of information in the same way. A study in the British Journal of Medicine (BMJ) examined the challenge of dealing with this huge category and described the struggle: “As a consequence, one can feel …show more content…
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (n.d.), employers have a legal responsibility to maintain a safe and healthful workplace. Employers are further responsible for keeping workplaces free from serious recognized hazards by “setting and enforcing standards, and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance” (OSHA, n.d., OSHA Law & Regulation, 2nd para., 2nd sentence). Some examples of maintaining a safe and healthful workplace are: providing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), making sure all exits are clearly marked and are not blocked, and providing signage to protect employees from potential hazards (OSHA, n.d.). By providing a safe workplace for nurses, patients receive the benefits. Failure to comply with OSHA standards could result in employer fines from the thousands to the millions of