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Exploring patient participation in reducing health-care-related safety risks

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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

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