A Patient Safety Concern in a Clinical Setting

Patient safety refers to how healthcare providers work in unison to prevent the patient from harm during hospitalization. The concept exists to reduce the health risks that may be predisposed towards the patient (Philippe et al., 2017). Some of the patient safety concerns that might be depicted in the healthcare system include patient identification mismatch, blood testing errors, medication errors, falls among the elders, diagnostic and surgical errors, postoperative complications, and communication errors, among other concerns.

In the clinical practice, my colleague was preparing a 60-year-old patient suffering from hypertension for theater. The patient was to undergo the removal of a tumor in the left lower side of the abdomen. She ensured that the checklist is completed and all the requirements needed were up to date and wheeled the patient to the theatre. The receiving team counter checked patient’s details and affirmed that the presented information was correct. The patient was received in the operating room while in a stable condition.

Impact of Team Work and Collaboration Concerning Patient Safety

As the healthcare providers were getting ready for the operation in the operating room, the circulating nurse noted the patient was breathing spontaneously. Upon taking vitals, the nurse pointed out that the patient’s blood pressure had increased suddenly. She instructed the anesthetist not to induce general anesthesia to the patient and suggested to monitor and consultate the patient to proceed with other healthcare providers. The healthcare members consulted amongst each other and agreed that the patient should be returned to the ward for blood pressure stabilization. The rise of blood pressure incapacitated the surgery that was to be done. The healthcare providers should act steadfastly in protecting and providing patients safety.

Reference

Philippe, M., Brami, J., Chanelière, M., Kret, M., Mosnier, A., Dupie, I., Haeringer-Cholet, A., Keriel-Gascou, M., Maradan, C., Villebrun, F., Makeham, M., & Quenon, J. L. (2017). Patient safety incidents are common in primary care: A national prospective active incident reporting survey. PloS One, 12(2), e0165455. Web.