Exploring patient participation in reducing health-care-related safety risks
Exploring patient participation in reducing health-care-related safety risks
Exploring patient participation in reducing health-care-related safety risks
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Patient <strong>participation</strong> <strong>in</strong> elective surgery <strong>safety</strong> <strong>in</strong> Portugal<br />
Elective surgery <strong>safety</strong><br />
Some documents with<strong>in</strong> the Portuguese legal and regulatory framework set out<br />
particular regulations for surgical practice, particularly elective procedures. Accord<strong>in</strong>g<br />
to Portuguese law (13,14), surgical <strong>in</strong>tervention is “one or more surgical acts performed<br />
by one or more surgeons <strong>in</strong> an operat<strong>in</strong>g room” (14). The DGS added to this def<strong>in</strong>ition:<br />
“… with the same therapeutic and/or diagnosis purpose, under general, loco-regional or<br />
local anaesthesia, with or without an anaesthetist” (57,58).<br />
Elective surgery is def<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> Portuguese law as be<strong>in</strong>g “performed <strong>in</strong> the surgery room<br />
with a previous scheduled date, not <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g m<strong>in</strong>or surgery” (14).<br />
The need for regulation of surgical services was recognized <strong>in</strong> Council of M<strong>in</strong>isters<br />
resolution No. 79/2004, published 27 April 2004, and through the establishment of an<br />
<strong>in</strong>tegrated management system for the surgical wait<strong>in</strong>g list (14,59) regulated by the<br />
central adm<strong>in</strong>istration services of the M<strong>in</strong>istry of Health. The goals of the <strong>in</strong>tegrated<br />
management system are to improve service, ensure equity <strong>in</strong> access, <strong>in</strong>crease efficiency<br />
and enhance knowledge and transparency of surgical <strong>care</strong> (elective surgery and deferred<br />
urgency) (13). Regulation of the <strong>in</strong>tegrated management system (14) sets out some<br />
def<strong>in</strong>itions of <strong>in</strong>formation documents, such as consent forms, surgical proposals and<br />
treatment proposals. The third section of the regulation establishes users’ rights and<br />
duties, specifically <strong>related</strong> to the right to compla<strong>in</strong>, the right to access <strong>in</strong>formation<br />
<strong>related</strong> to the wait<strong>in</strong>g list and other adm<strong>in</strong>istrative issues (14).<br />
Beyond the normative documents concern<strong>in</strong>g <strong>health</strong> <strong>care</strong> <strong>safety</strong> <strong>in</strong> a broad sense, the<br />
DGS also publishes regulatory documents on surgical practice. The DGS regulatory<br />
memorandum No.16/DQS/QDCO of 22 June 2010, based on the WHO guidel<strong>in</strong>es on<br />
<strong>safety</strong> of surgical <strong>care</strong> (10), regulates implementation of the “Safe Surgery Saves Lives”<br />
<strong>in</strong>itiative <strong>in</strong> all NHS operat<strong>in</strong>g theatres effective from 1 July 2010 (60). It recommends<br />
the implementation of two specific tools: the surgical <strong>safety</strong> checklist (before <strong>in</strong>duction<br />
of anaesthesia, before sk<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>cision and before the <strong>patient</strong> leaves the operat<strong>in</strong>g room)<br />
and the surgical Apgar score, which considers the <strong>in</strong>traoperation estimated blood loss,<br />
lowest mean arterial pressure and lowest heart rate (60).<br />
HCWs and <strong>patient</strong> engagement<br />
Health <strong>care</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitutions, HCWs and their associations have an important role to play<br />
<strong>in</strong> guarantee<strong>in</strong>g <strong>patient</strong> <strong>participation</strong> <strong>in</strong> enhanc<strong>in</strong>g <strong>health</strong> <strong>care</strong> <strong>safety</strong>. This requires deep<br />
commitment at education and professional levels.<br />
This section focuses on provision for communication with, and <strong>in</strong>volvement of, <strong>patient</strong>s<br />
<strong>in</strong> professional tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g programmes at all levels and <strong>in</strong> ethical guidel<strong>in</strong>es. It also<br />
addresses professional associations’ and <strong>health</strong> <strong>care</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitutions’ <strong>in</strong>volvement <strong>in</strong> rais<strong>in</strong>g<br />
awareness <strong>in</strong> this field.<br />
Undergraduate and postgraduate education<br />
The stra tegic plan for tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the <strong>health</strong> sector, presented <strong>in</strong> 2003 by the national<br />
<strong>health</strong> task force nom<strong>in</strong>ated by the Council of M<strong>in</strong>isters (61), was expected to be a<br />
tool to support <strong>health</strong> professional education (62,63). Accord<strong>in</strong>g to the last published<br />
101