Patient Perspective

The entire purpose of health care is to administer preventative, or pertinent medical treatments to patients in order to cure, detour, or improve an illness or ailment. With any type of service where goods or services are exchanged, there are inevitably some instances that result in unfavorable outcomes for either the service provider or recipient. The main goal of health care is to keep a patient safe and free “from injury or illness resulting from the processes of health care” (Impact, 2012). A patient’s entitlement to be cared for in a safe and effective manner is extremely important because it is the sole reason for the existence of health care facilities and all of the staffs that inhibit and operate in it.

Patient harm can occur at several stages of treatment from a number of different sources. Health care facilities have an obligation to limit the possibility of harm to patients by monitoring qualified staff in multiple departments and lowering potential for negligence through environmental issues. Providing actual health care treatment can create issues in medical therapy such as procedural errors. Procedural errors can occur as unsanitary conditions, improper equipment utilization, and negligent or improper services rendered. According to the HSA6385 course powerpoint presentation on Patient Safety and Medical Errors, there are approximately 1.5 million injuries to patients that involve medication errors as well(Impact, 2012).

In some instances a doctor may feel as though a medical procedure has been a success while a patient does not find the treatment satisfactory. The majority of medical procedures require a consent form to be signed that has a liability disclaimer stating that unfavorable outcomes can result from the procedure. The medical community can view a slight improvement in condition as a success and the patient can still remain disappointed because of higher expectations for anticipated results. Patient safety in a health care facility should be preserved, protected, and improved and viewing the patient as a guest or customer makes that individual the most significant determinate as to whether an unfavorable incident has occurred.

References:

Impact of Quality on the Patient: Patient Safety and Medical Errors. (2012). [Powerpoint Slides]. Retrieved from https://webcourses.ucf.edu/webct/urw/tp14717307490131.lc14158134517121/displayContentPage.dowebct?pageID=14837728424111&resetBreadcrumb=false&displayBCInsideFrame=true