Care For PA

The issue of patient safety has become one of the most significant challenges facing the American health care system. Nearly every week, newspaper articles and reports on the radio and television keep the issue of hospital quality and patient safety in the spotlight. Pennsylvania hospitals have substantially improved many aspects of care. Even so, there is still much work to be done and hospitals can't do it alone. There is a role for everyone to play in this effort--from hospital employees, trustees, and volunteers, to patients and families, and government and insurers.

Since the Institute of Medicine's 1999 report, "To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System,�? called for dramatic improvements to America's health care system, Pennsylvania hospitals have substantially improved many aspects of care. Even so, there is still much work to be done, and hospitals can't do it alone. There is a role for everyone to play in this effort--from hospital employees, trustees, and volunteers, to patients and families, and government and insurers.

Many Roles; One Goal

There are a growing number of regional, state, and national initiatives focused on quality and patient safety (see related information, Regional, National, and State Hospital Quality and Patient Safety Initiatives Demonstrate Commitment to Quality), each using different tools and focusing on different areas. Those tools and the way they are used are very important; however, it's really the people in the hospital family that drive improvement.

The hospital family, which includes everyone--from trustees to hospital senior leadership, to clinical and support staff--each play a key role in promoting a "culture of safety.�? In such an environment, ideas and experiences are freely exchanged. The focus is shifted away from isolated incidents and onto analyzing systems and changing them to enhance patient safety. That's why, whether you are a nurse, a volunteer, or the chief financial officer, you should consider your role in the chain of safety and consider how your actions may affect the quality of care. At the same time, patients and their loved ones also play an important role in patient safety, and their involvement should not be overlooked (see related information, You and Your Hospital: Partners in Quality). This team approach to patient safety requires a change in mindset, but it is proving successful in helping hospitals to meet their quality and patient safety goals.

Even our state government can play a role in strengthening quality and patient safety through appropriately structured oversight of hospitals and other health care facilities, health care professionals, and insurers, including consistently using evidence-based requirements and standards, having a system that allows flexibility to respond to a changing health care environment, and ensuring quality care in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

The doors of a hospital never close, and the public continually expects high-quality care. By doing your part and taking personal responsibility for improving hospital quality and patient safety, you can assist Pennsylvania's hospitals in fulfilling their promise of providing the best care possible to every patient who walks through their doors.

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