Free National Patient Safety Goals Assessment: Speak Up Home Care Initiative Essay Sample

Introduction

Everybody has the right to take part in health care safety. This may governs patient, family members, caregivers, doctors, nurses and other health care professionals. First launched in 2002, as a print campaign with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Joint Commission’s Speak up program ensures patients to take an active role in preventing errors in health care by involving and informing participants in the heath care team . This now features free brochures, info graphics, and posters and animated Speak up videos in a variety of health care topics. In the year 2014, the brochure format was changed into info graphic format. These new formats are published as an info-graphic while the older formats are still available on their website . The animated videos are providing 60 seconds announcements on public services on Joint Commission’s website and you tube channel and also in closed circuit television.

Summary

This whole study is an in imitative in comparing readmissions of Medicare receivers in usual home care with a matched group of who are receiving restorative model of home care. Based on community and home care, where a restorative care model is adopted, the principles of which are from geriatric medicine, rehabilitation, nursing, care management in chronic diseases, and behavioral change theory. The centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services along with other agencies in the Department of Health are trying to identify the causes of readmission and to propagate programs, which are effective in reducing avoidable readmissions . Several interventions governing transition in care, self-management, processes of hospital discharge, management of medications and specific diseases have helped in reducing hospital readmissions. Many elderly people are receiving home care services from Medicare qualified agencies ensures that increasing efficient recovery during the period of receiving home care services are useful strategy in reducing hospital readmissions. The individuals who are receiving restorative models of home care are remaining in home for longer periods and visiting the emergency department much less and are improving activities in daily living. This aims in reorienting home care teams to work together in a multi disciplinary work group of expert home cares. This also allows more communication among patient, family members and the professionals where there are approaches based on feedbacks, and implementing the test model with all the staffs .

Evaluation of Brochure

The Speak Up programs are encouraging consumers to speak up if they do have any questions or concerns, since the consumers have the right to know that also ensures in having the right treatment and therapy from expert health care professionals. This helps in educating the patient and family about the illness, to be aware of the medical tests that the patient is undergoing and the future treatment plan. The patient must know what medicines he or she is taking and why; this helps in reducing medicine errors, which is one of the most common errors in health care . The patient and the family are encouraged in participating in all discussions about treatment and the home care services receiving. This also ensures in having a trusted family member or friend to be the advocate of the patient. Speak up to the home care if one feels that one is getting wrong medicines or if they are feeling worse after getting the medicine. The patient must be the centre of attraction and the home care professional must agree with the patient in each step of care.
There must be more support for the patient and the family to increase their knowledge and health literacy, to reduce hospitalization costs since most of the patients receiving home care are elderly or retired. This topic interests me because I feel that if someone is critically ill, he or she needs more support from family and friends. This will not only boosts up the desire of living but also ensure more peace mentally. Both physical and mental well being is essential to improve the quality of life and home care helps in decreasing the expenses of treatment. The information present in the brochure is much beneficial and incorporated in patient education. The information present in the brochure is clearly stated. Though the current health care related research support the information present in the brochure, still more research and use of advanced technology are necessary . Mostly the people suffering from chronic diseases who needs long term treatment are beneficial with this article, since most of them are elderly and people who are at risks. This information can be used by any health care professional who wants to give restorative care model to improve the quality of life and one who wants to have proper home care. All these information will definitely increase patient safety since the patient and his family members can actively take part in each level of home care. Here the patient have complete information regarding his treatment, regarding medicines, diet, activities, follow up, risk factors and other necessary requirements for home care and thereby improves the quality of life .

Conclusion

All the above discussion states that this Speak Up program in Home Care is much beneficial and effective in restoring proper care model in Home Care. This involves support and guidelines from experts in a multidisciplinary team approach. This also ensures in active participation of the patient and the family in each step of treatment. This will definitely reduce errors in health care and negligence from caregivers. Since the patient and the family have proper knowledge about the disease and its risk factors they can take active participation in restoring model Home Care.

References

Garcia-Perez, L., Linertova, R. and Lorenzo-Riera, A. “Risk factors for hospital in the Medicare fee-for-service program.” New England Journal of Medicine 360 (2011): 1418-1428.
Jencks, S.F., Williams, M.V. and Coleman, E.A. “Re-hospitalizations among patients-readmissions in elderly patients: A systematic review.” QJM 104 (2009): 639-651.
Naylor, M.D., Aiken, L.H. and Kurtzman, E.T. “The care span: The importance of transitional care in achieving health reform.” Health Affairs 30 (2011): 746-754.