Patient safety program is a continuous program involving all of the following activities:
1. Constituting a patient safety management committee with wide representation from all the major departments.
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The program should be under the direct supervision of the MS and should also include the representatives from various committees such as Hospital Infection Control Committee, Medical Audit/Nursing Audit Committed Ethics Committee and BM Waste Management committee.
2. A documented safety manual for the hospital covering each and every aspect that has a bearing on safety.
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3. Identification of all possible hazards such as:
i. Unsafe buildings especially, those in the earthquake prone areas and no designed/retrofitted for earthquake resistance
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ii. Unsafe engineering services, equipment, materials, environment
iii. Ill trained, unqualified, negligent staff
iv. Unsafe practices/processes.
4. Estimating the hazard potential in r/o every possible hazard.
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5. Prioritization of hazards.
6. Outlining the safety measures for every hazard.
7. Allocation of resources for the safety measures.
8. Implementation of corrective measures for risk reduction/elimination and improvement of patient’s safety to the acceptable level.
9. Implementing a procedure for reporting and investigating the incidents.
10. Implementing a procedure for collecting, processing and storage of data.
11. Periodic regular review (internal audit) of effectiveness of the corrective measures and the system.
12. Maintenance of record of all the safety reviews/audits and the corrective actions implemented.
13. A system of continuous monitoring and analysis of the sentinel/adverse and near-miss events to identify the lacunae and take corrective actions.
14. A procedure for informing and educating the patients/visiting public to cooperate in warding off the hazards.
15. A policy and procedure for periodic impartial external audit to validate the safety measures implemented. PSMP involves creating an organization wide culture of safety where safety comes first and foremost for the patients, staff as well as visitors.
Hospital administrator has a crucial role in the success of the program. He is, not just the head of hospital organization but is also, de facto, the guardian of the patients.
16. Including the review of hospital safety and security as the first agenda point in any meeting of the management. That will give the subject, the importance it deserves.
Patients are fully dependent on the hospital management for prevention of hazards because they all (even walking patients) are vulnerable. Medical Superintendent should act like the proverbial “devil’s advocate” to find faults with a sharp and penetrating eye.
The importance of written periodic reports as per structured formats, verified further by a schedule of periodic inspections of all areas of the hospital should never be underestimated.
The PSMP has to be organization wide and encompassing the entire spectrum of activities minor or major. No activity, service or department can be treated as absolutely safe requiring no monitoring/control.