Protection Of The Patients And Improvement Health Care Services

Question: Discuss about the Protection Of The Patients And Improvement Of The Quality Of Health Care Services. Answer: The National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards is a widely accepted Standard Guidelines which is the brainchild of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC). Partnership and consultation with technical professionals, jurisdictions and stakeholders have led to the NSQHS standrads that include patients and healthcare professionals alike (Daly et al., 2017). The aim of these standards is the protection of the patients from potential harm and improvement of the quality of health care services provided. The present essay is based on the application of two of the ten NSQHS standards, Standard 3- Preventing and Controlling Healthcare Associated Infections and Standard 10- Preventing Falls and Harm from Falls, to a presented case study and the comparison of the application in the home as compared to hospital environment. The patient in question is 61-year-old Mrs Brown who has been referred to a Hospital in the Home (HITH) service after a Lap C holecystectomy. The medical complications include T2DM, OA and toe amputation. The ongoing care needs include administration of IVABs via a PICC line, monitoring wound area vital sign assessment and general education. The standard 3 of NSQHS standards states that clinical professionals must implement accurate systems for the prevention and management of healthcare associated infections and impart knowledge of the same to others for achievement of desired outcomes. The intention is to safeguard patients from suffering infections while receiving care (safetyandquality.gov.au, 2012). Mrs Brown is at risk of developing an infection at the PICC site as well as the wound site, leading to the requirement of adhering to practices associated with infection prevention. Hand hygiene has been indicated to be the most prominent and effective practice to eliminate infection chances. At hospitals, nurses are to use alcohol-based gels or antiseptic-containing detergents or soaps for this purpose. At home, the same practice is to be adhered to. Since the patient is been given care at her home, it is advisable that the nurse uses sterile barrier precautions such as gloves and mask while coming in contact with the p atient. In addition, chlorohexidine can be used for skin antisepsis (Shaban et al. 2016). Since in the present case the care is given at home, the nurse has the additional responsibility of managing the patient related supplies on the basis of the supposed cleanliness of the patients house. A home appearing to be clean in an apparent manner might be contaminated with a number of pathogens, usually drug-resistant (Qian et al., 2016). The standard 10 of NSQHS standards states that clinical professionals are to implement robust systems that are useful for preventing patient falls and reducing harm from such falls. The intention is to avoid any additional health complications arising due to patient falls (safetyandquality.gov.au, 2012). The patient under scrutiny has suffered a toe amputation, implying that functional deficit is suffered by the patient. The patient is therefore at risk of suffering fall. Thenursing care provided as a preventive strategy for falls needs to be advanced as chances of suffering falls at home are more as compared to that at a healthcare setting. At a health care setting, prevention of falls can be achieved by implementing guarding rails at beds, keeping provision for bed switch for the light and maintaining clean and neat environment (Li et al., 2016). In contrast, fall prevention practices are more detailed at home care setting. The patient needs to be familiarised with the setting, and the personal possessions of the patient are to be kept within reach of the patient. Sturdy handrails are to be placed at hallway, room and bathrooms. It is also advisable to keep the bed brakes locked. Comfortable and well-fitting footwear and clothes are to be worn by the patient. Keeping the care areas of the patient uncluttered is also a duty of the nurse. Lastly, safe patient handling practices are to be followed by the nurse (DiCenso et al. 2014). From the above discussion, it is to be concluded that the NSQHS standards provide a mechanism for a quality guarantee that aids in examining the effectiveness of relevant care systems as reflected by maintaining minimum standards of quality and safety. The NSQHS standards 3 and 10 guides the standards of care practice within the domiciliary care environment as well as the hospital system. While standard 3 deals with prevention of healthcare associated infections, standard 10 involves prevention of patient falls. The patient Mrs Brown had been under risk of developing an infection at the wound site and PICC line used for IVAB administration. In addition, there is an increased chance for the patient to suffer a fall since she had undergone a toe amputation in the recent past. It is the responsibility of the nurse to adhere to the standards as outlined to ensure that quality care is provided in Hospital in the Home environment. References Daly, J., Speedy, S., Jackson, D. (2017).Contexts of nursing: An introduction. Elsevier Health Sciences.DiCenso, A., Guyatt, G., Ciliska, D. (2014).Evidence-Based Nursing-E-Book: A Guide to Clinical Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences. Li, E., Clark, M., Heesch, K., Vallmuur, K. (2016). 94 Falls in middle-aged adults presenting to emergency departments in Queensland, Australia: risk factor exploration. National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (2012).safetyandquality.gov.au. Retrieved 4 September 2017, from https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/NSQHS-Standards-Sept-2012.pdf Qian, S., Yu, P., Hailey, D. M., Wang, N. (2016). Factors influencingnursing time spent on administration of medication in an Australian residential aged care home.Journal of nursing management,24(3), 427-434. Shaban, R. Z., Macbeth, D., Vause, N., Simon, G. (2016). Documentation, composition and organisation of infection control programs and plans in Australian healthcare systems: A pilot study.Infection, Disease Health,21(2), 51-61.