Patient Safety
What Tools Exist To Help With Patient Safety?
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What Tools Exist To Help With Patient Safety? The aims of patient safety, as defined by the World Health Organization, are “to prevent and reduce risks, errors, and harm that occur to patients during provision of health care.” Many tools exist to help patients and caregivers ensure that a living environment is secure and comfortable and continues to be so as conditions change. In this sense, tools can mean two things: physical objects that help patients stay safe and resources available to them to take practical steps for improving their safety. What tools exist to help health care providers, loved ones, and patients stay safe at home?
Assistive tools can improve the independence and livelihood of a senior loved one. By investing in items to help patients perform their daily activities, you can restore their freedom and mobility and provide peace of mind for both you and the patient.
Assistive tools can take many forms – you may already know how important wheelchairs, walkers, and canes are, but other pieces of equipment can be required to prevent dangers like falls. They help in such a way that patients don’t have to overexert themselves in ways that could cause strains and injuries. We’ll highlight three here: activator poles, uplift seat assists, and home hospital beds.
Activator poles offer lateral stability and balance. They help patients living with chronic pain, Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, the effects of a stroke, or those recovering from operations such as hip or knee surgery. The poles can bear up to 200 pounds of weight, with the tip providing stability and the handle strengthening the core.
Anyone living with arthritis, coccyx pain, or other joint ailments can struggle to rise from a seated position to standing without pain. One tool to help them is the uplift seat assist. It’s a manual portable lifting seat that uses a pneumatic spring-assist to gently lift or lower up to 70% of the user’s weight.
A patient can use an uplift seat assist on their favourite chair, sofa, or another piece of furniture to lift them into a standing position without having to overexert themselves. The memory foam cushion also makes sitting more comfortable for those with arthritis and other joint ailments to lower and raise themselves from a seated position with greater ease. In the bathroom environment, solutions exist such as raised toilet seats which we make available through the SonderCare Assure Powered Toilet Lift Seat in North America.
A home hospital bed lets the user adjust their head and feet, much like an adjustable bed; however, the patient can also raise and lower the overall height. It makes them essential for patient safety, and the user doesn’t have to struggle to get out of bed at a set height. They also have optional side rails to help the patient avoid falls and injuries getting in and out of bed, as well as during their sleep if they roll around.
When a patient is convalescing at home, health care providers and loved ones must know what the patient is going back to after their medical care. A Household Safety Survey Checklist allows caregivers and loved ones to identify hazards in the home related to falls, fire, electricity, hygiene, chemical, and other risks. Many tools and resources exist for patients within their local healthcare network; caregivers, families, and patients themselves can also access safety research and data resources to help make necessary decisions.
Many screening and risk assessment tools are available, with most focusing on environmental hazards in the home setting and specific risk factors. It’s possible to overlook other issues inherent in addressing patient safety in the home: personal functional capacity, the culture of safety surrounding them, and financial issues are just some of them. A quality care plan, made with the patient’s unique needs and residential environment in mind, can overcome these potential safety problems.
Regardless of the patient’s individual needs, training must focus on systematically assessing safety domains and incorporating the values and goals of patients and caregivers. Healthcare workers have to be able to offer guidance related to community resources, too!
Professional caregiver organizations are invaluable resources for patients and families looking to improve safety at home. They can review the living environment for risks like falls and offer the results to patients and their family members or other caregivers. These organizations may have checklists for clients living with specific conditions, e.g. dementia or special fall-risk considerations.
Caregiver organizations can also provide many data-driven services, such as tracking falls. The data can help them identify opportunities to update training or reevaluate care protocols or client equipment needs.
Use of monitoring equipment, ensuring clients experience their treatment process, verifying all medical interventions, following correct handwashing protocols, and maintaining a good home medical atmosphere are all factors that affect patient safety.
Digital Health Records, Personal Exercise Trackers, Medication Apps, Telemedicine, Remote Patient Monitoring, and Healthy Eating Apps are examples of common digital tools to manage your health.
Start Your Patient Safety Equipment Collection With SonderCare
Are you recently discharged from hospital, experiencing mobility issues, or in need of palliative or senior care? Enjoy a smoother recovery and get the luxury you deserve by choosing our home hospital products. Contact us today to discuss home hospital beds, mattresses, stand assist chairs and other accessories to make your home hospice perfect for a truly comfortable experience.
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