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
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Feel<strong>in</strong>g safe<br />
Five per cent of hospital <strong>patient</strong>s reported that they “never” or only “sometimes” felt safe<br />
<strong>in</strong> the hands of doctors and nurses dur<strong>in</strong>g their hospital stay (72) (Fig. 7.1).<br />
Ten of the nurs<strong>in</strong>g home clients questioned reported that they “never” or only<br />
“sometimes” experienced competent and safe <strong>care</strong>; 11% of families of clients on<br />
psychogeriatric wards reported that they “never” or only “sometimes” experienced<br />
competent and safe <strong>care</strong>; and 44% of home <strong>care</strong> clients “never” or only “sometimes”<br />
experienced competent and safe <strong>care</strong> (73) (Fig. 7.2).<br />
Fig . 7 .2 . Clients experienc<strong>in</strong>g competent and safe <strong>care</strong> – nurs<strong>in</strong>g homes and home <strong>care</strong> <strong>in</strong> the<br />
Netherlands, 2006<br />
Somatic nurs<strong>in</strong>g <strong>care</strong><br />
Psychogeriatric <strong>care</strong><br />
Home <strong>care</strong><br />
Source: Westert et al. (73).<br />
%<br />
0 25 50 75 100<br />
Never/sometimes<br />
Usually<br />
Always<br />
Be<strong>in</strong>g actively <strong>in</strong>volved<br />
Thirty per cent of cataract <strong>patient</strong>s reported that their ophthalmologist was never/<br />
sometimes will<strong>in</strong>g to talk about th<strong>in</strong>gs that had gone wrong (71). Thirty-three per cent<br />
of breast cancer <strong>patient</strong>s reported that their <strong>health</strong> <strong>care</strong> providers were never/sometimes<br />
will<strong>in</strong>g to talk about th<strong>in</strong>gs that had gone wrong (69).<br />
Surveys of the CQC<br />
The CQC <strong>in</strong> United K<strong>in</strong>gdom (England) coord<strong>in</strong>ates <strong>patient</strong> surveys and collects<br />
feedback on <strong>in</strong>dividuals’ experiences <strong>in</strong> us<strong>in</strong>g a range of <strong>health</strong> <strong>care</strong> services provided by<br />
the NHS. Several questions <strong>in</strong> the adult <strong>in</strong><strong>patient</strong> survey are <strong>related</strong> to <strong>patient</strong> <strong>safety</strong>.<br />
Data are reported on the CQC web site (74).<br />
Safety management<br />
Seventeen per cent of <strong>patient</strong>s who were given medication to take home with them said<br />
they received an explanation “to some extent”, but an additional 9% said that a member<br />
of staff did not expla<strong>in</strong> the purpose of the medic<strong>in</strong>es. Forty-four per cent reported that<br />
they were not <strong>in</strong>formed about medication side-effects that could occur at home (Fig.<br />
7.3). Thirty-five per cent said they were not given written or pr<strong>in</strong>ted <strong>in</strong>formation about<br />
what they should or should not do after leav<strong>in</strong>g hospital and 38% were not told about<br />
any danger signals they should watch for after they went home.<br />
When asked about hand wash<strong>in</strong>g, 78% of respondents said that as far as they knew,<br />
doctors “always” washed their hands between touch<strong>in</strong>g <strong>patient</strong>s, while 7% said that this<br />
Patients’ experiences and <strong>patient</strong> <strong>safety</strong><br />
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