Systems-Based Practice: Improving the Safety and Quality of Patient Care

Introduction

Systems theory refers to the specialization of systems thinking as well as the generalization of the system science. A healthcare organization comprises of several departments which work together towards achieving the goals of the healthcare sectors across the world which include good health for citizens and the responsiveness for providing the required services to the patients. A healthcare organization such as a hospital is always an open system. The hospitals interact with the environment in which they are situated. Through this interaction, the hospitals complete necessary trades which facilitates the survival of the existing systems in place, the growth, as well as the fulfillment of the system goals. The main objective of the various healthcare organizations across the world, under the umbrella of the World Health Organization is always to build a safer health system that would prevent the death of patients resulting from the preventable errors.

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The healthcare systems within the country have a budgetary allocation of between 17 and 29 billion dollars per year across the country (Plawecki, 2006). The healthcare sector also receives about $2million for the health information tech act (HITECH) incentives. Nonetheless, with all these inputs to the healthcare sector, there is still a considerable increase in medication errors. The increase in these errors has been a greater concern to the management of the hospitals regarding the safety of the patients. The medication errors have also affected the perception of the healthcare practitioners as the caregivers leading to a decision by the administration, the emergency department, as well as the pharmacy team to implement a new information system known as EPIC. The EPIC system came with enormous benefits which were realized right away. The EPIC system like other certified electronic health record technologies is used to achieve specific objectives within the healthcare organization (Brown, 2010).

Formulate the desired outcome

The desired outcome of using the system certified electronic health record technologies in the healthcare systems is the reduction of the medication errors. The EPIC system will enable the physicians to order the medications for the patients electronically. The use of the electronic means in ordering the medications will by far eliminate the discrepancies that have always been noticed while ordering medicine by decimal points. Another benefit of connecting the hospital using the EPIC system is to enable the verification of the medication ordered before distributing and delivering them. The system enables the nurse in charge to scan the armband of the patient for identification purposes providing safe and effective care to every patient within the hospital.

Identify goals and objectives that would facilitate that outcome

The goals and the objectives to facilitate this desired outcome is the long-term quest for eliminating the medication errors within our healthcare facility. The hospital also conforms to the general goals of every healthcare facility around the world which is building a safer health system that would prevent the death of patients resulting from the preventable errors. Thus, the move to acquire the system would greatly reduce the medication error incidents and the resulting cases of death as well as the side effects.

Translate those goals and objectives into policies and procedures for the department or unit

The goals and objectives aimed at facilitating the desired outcome which is ensuring a complete elimination of the medical errors in the healthcare facility will result in the formulation of the various policies. These policies include the use of open systems which allows the interaction between the environment, the community, and the healthcare practitioners (Thauker, 2017). The hospital must also pursue the use of system based practices as it is the cornerstone of the hospital thinking. The use of system based practices must also be encouraged as they are instrumental in measuring the outcomes as well as the provision of the insights of every department for research developments which can greatly help in the future planning and the improvements of the organization (Johnson, Miller & Horowitz, 2008). The use of systems is also encouraged as it facilitates efficient service delivery to the patients and ensuring quality and safety of every individual resulting in an improved outcome.

The relevant professional standards

Medication errors often result in adverse effects and may lead to loss of lives. Thus, the provision of the medications ought to be done by the physicians while the administration of these drugs needs to be done by the nurses. The nurses are always knowledgeable about the effects, the interaction, as well as the side effects of the prescribed medications making them the right people to take appropriate actions in cases of medication errors.

How the proposed resolution to the problem would uphold the organization's mission and values and improve the culture and climate

Our organization operates in line with the World Health Organization's goals and objectives for the healthcare sectors which is to ensure a safer health system that would prevent the death of patients resulting from the preventable errors. Thus, the implementation of the EPIC system is in line with the organization's mission and values as it will streamline the allocation and verification of the medications to the patients. The system will also create a more open environment which will allow the interaction between the community and the healthcare practitioners leading to an improved culture and climate within the organization.

References

Thakur, D.(2017). Difference between Open and Closed Systems: information and System Concept

Johnson, J.K, Miller, S.H,& Horowitz, S.D.(2008). Systems-based practice: Improving the safety and quality of Patient care by recognizing and improving the systems in which we work.

Plawecki, H.& Amrhein, D. (2009). Clearing the Err. Journal of Gerontological Nursing .35 (11), 26-29

Brown, B.(2010). The final rules for meaningful use of EHRS: Journal of Health Care Compliance