Healing Hands Hospital is preparing for an accreditation visit from The Joint Commission. (TJC). TJC accredits health care organizations to improve the quality and safety of health care services. Their Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals (CAMH) includes the following standards and regulations:
Patient-Focused Functions such as infection prevention and control; medication management; provision of care, treatment, and services; rights and responsibilities of the individual.
Organization Functions such as management of the environment of care, emergency management, human resources, management of information, life safety, medical staff, nursing, performance improvement, record of care, treatment, services, and leadership.
For this assignment, you will complete the following:
From the list of standards mentioned above, choose 1 Patient-Focused Function and Organization Function and discuss why each of those functions are important to patient safety.
Discuss why government regulations and private regulations such as those of The Joint Commission are necessary in health care.
Unit 3 IP: Health Care Industry
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Unit 3 IP: Health Care Industry
The Joint Commission is an agency that is charged with the responsibility of accrediting healthcare organizations in the United States. Healthcare organizations that form the United States healthcare system have received accreditation from the Joint Commission (Austin & Wetle, 2016). The Joint Commission has documented the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals (CAMH) which clearly defines Patient-Focused Functions and Organization Functions that healthcare organizations must observe to ensure compliance (The Joint Commission, 2016). An example of a patient-focused function is medication management and an example of an organization function is human resources management. The purpose of this assignment is to discuss why medication management and human resource management are important to patient safety. The assignment will include a discussion of why government regulations and private regulations are necessary in health care.
Medication Management and Human Resource Management: Importance to Patient Safety
The Joint Commission offers accreditation to healthcare organizations that demonstrate commitment to patient safety. Medication management is important to patient safety because it prevents medication errors, adverse reactions, and medication non-compliance. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2017), medication management entails overseeing medication reconciliation and the creation of an accurate and complete list of medications for a patient to ensure compliance and the achievement of positive patient outcomes. Medication errors and drug interactions that occur due to the lack of medication reconciliation have a negative impact on patient safety. Chui et al. (2019) recognize the important role that medication management plays in promoting patient safety, especially among patients with chronic illnesses. Healing Hands must put in place strategies that enhance medication management in order to retain its Joint Commission accreditation.
Human resource management is a key organizational function that helps medical facilities to promote patient safety. A healthcare organization must hire adequately trained and experienced staff who can provide quality healthcare to patients. The human resource department of a healthcare organization needs to organize training for new employees to equip them with the skills that they need to perform their roles effectively. Additionally, it should distribute workload in a manner that eliminates burnout among nurses while also ensuring that employees receive good benefits and compensation (Janes et al., 2021). When healthcare professionals are adequately trained, receive good compensation, and do not experience burnout, they are able to perform their roles effectively and take appropriate measures to maximize patient safety within their settings.
The Importance of Regulation
Both private and government regulations are necessary in healthcare. The reason is that they provide standards with which healthcare organizations need to comply to demonstrate their commitment to healthcare quality and patient safety (The Joint Commission, 2016). These standards guide medical facilities to implement strategies that facilitate the delivery of safe and quality care thereby promoting positive patient outcomes. Both private and government regulations basically promote compliance with the standards that have been put in place to enhance quality and safety.
Conclusion
As it prepares for an accreditation visit from the Joint Commission, Healing Hands Hospital should ensure that it has put in place measures that demonstrate its compliance with the safety and quality standards set by the agency. Patient-focused functions and organization functions are equally important to patient safety. Both government and private regulations such as those of The Joint Commission are necessary in health care because they ensure that healthcare organizations maintain compliance with the standards that have been set to promote quality and safety.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2017). Medication management strategy: Intervention. https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/reports/engage/interventions/medmanage.html#:~:text=Medication%20management%20is%20a%20strategy,reconciliation%20and%20medication%20management%20issues.
Austin, A., & Wetle, V. (2016). The United States Health Care System (3rd Edition). Pearson Education (US). https://coloradotech.vitalsource.com/books/9780134297927
Chui, M. A., Pohjanoksa-Mäntylä, M., & Snyder, M. E. (2019). Improving medication safety in varied health systems. Research in Social & Administrative Pharmacy: RSAP, 15(7), 811–812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.04.012
Janes, G., Mills, T., Budworth, L., Johnson, J., & Lawton, R. (2021). The association between health care staff engagement and patient safety outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Patient Safety, 17(3), 207–216. https://doi.org/10.1097/PTS.0000000000000807
The Joint Commission. (2016). Comprehensive Accreditation Manual: CAMH for hospitals. https://www.worldcat.org/title/comprehensive-accreditation-manual-camh-for-hospitals/oclc/923794492.