In the modern health care industry, patient safety is non-negotiable. Patients expect it,
clinicians strive to deliver it and health care organizations rely on it. In this blog, I outline
how you as a client can be responsible for your own patient safety.
PATIENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Every patient has rights and responsibility according to the Kenyan constitution click here to view the charter . Did you know you have rights as well as responsibilities?
WELLNESS CHECKS
As a patient you should also take charge of your own health by ensuring you attend wellness check-ups when was the last time you walked into a hospital and you were not unwell. At Jacaranda we have a list of tests that are vital to be checked on a yearly basis for both male and female clients. Most Non communicable diseases are easily managed when early detection is done. Come in for a check up and take care of your own health.
ASK QUESTIONS
I cannot emphasize more that you need to ask what you do not understand. It is your responsibility to ask your health care worker what the drug is for, what are the undesired outcomes, why do I need that test etc.… everything you don’t know ask. Constructive dialogue between patients and their healthcare providers are very few but these are essential in patient safety matters. If it doesn’t feel right most probably its not.
Ask ask and ask again until you are comfortable with your treatment.
Human is to error: Remember your health care provider is also a human being and may
forget to do something they were meant to do but they have the best interest of you and
your person at heart and they took an oath to always give the best of their training.
FEEDBACK
Systems for reporting and dealing with healthcare harm with due respect to confidentiality and are not well established. Meaningful patient representation in patient safety matters is negligible. Channels for constructive dialogue between patients and healthcare providers are very few. So the patients resort to verbal or written representation, suggestions or complaint as the way of communication of healthcare harm and probably this is the only way of raising the patient voice for patient safety in most organizations. Look out for our blog on communicating complaints and complements at Jacaranda Maternity.