Mistakes, whether administrative or medical, may occur at any stage of the healthcare process if its actors do not give enough attention to the occurring events. Therefore, creating internal systems of support that prevent clients from “unnecessary harm, pain, or other suffering” is an essential aspect of healthcare, without which professionals may lose patient wellness as their ultimate goal. Identifying the lack of such behavior in one’s workplace may be the first prerequisite to creating a safer environment for all involved participants.
In my work experience, an error occurred during patient transportation that resulted in a wrong patient being delivered to interventional radiology and undergoing someone else’s procedure. If all those concerned with the occurrence, from transport to doctors, followed the in-place two-patient identifier rules correctly, my facility could have avoided placing a heart stent in the wrong client. Preventing such circumstances in the future may be possible through absolute adherence to patient identifier checks, as well as looking over patient records before commencing treatment. Additionally, Griffin writes that “part of the reason for such failures in healthcare is that professional healthcare education does not include training in how to communicate effectively with others.” Therefore, resolving issues in information transferability, which stem from potential anxiety due to perceived insubordination or the absence of communication skills, may reduce the number of medical errors through the creation of pathways of communication.
The cornerstone of modern-day healthcare may be the creation of an environment where the driving force is not personal ego or hard-earned professional pride, but instead an aim to continue providing correct and efficient care. Creating a teamwork spirit within the workplace allows encouraging error-reducing circumstances through the appropriate correction of each other’s mistakes, which often stem from healthcare professionals’ overworked conditions. Thus, demonstrating interpersonal tools that allow nurses, doctors, and even transport staff to communicate both efficiently and to the advantage of patients becomes a crucial aspect of healthcare education and job training.