Joint Commission.
Every two years our hospital gets accredited by the Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation. The purpose of it is to meet the strict healthcare delivery requirements that hopefully reduces unsafe practices.
Healthcare has gone a long way since I started my nursing career 10 years ago. Latin abbreviations are no longer acceptable. OU for both eyes and QD for daily are examples. I wonder why they were even implemented. Just read your prescription and see if you can read what your doctor has prescribed for you. It's scary.
I had the opportunity to finally meet some of these Joint Commision inspectors. I used to work nights and I never did meet any of them in the past 10 years. Last Tuesday, they were all over the hospital. I just did my work and hoped they are nice with me if they pick me to inter view. With my luck, they skipped my unit. They went everywhere else but my unit. Unbelievable.
I heard there was a doctor and a nurse inspector. The doctor pretty much concentrated on the chart and the nurse was focusing on nursing safety procedures. There was emphasis on "Time Out". This is basicaly taking the time before the procedure so the doctor, nurses and other vital staff can check that they have the right patient, the right procedure, the right body part is marked if applicable, the right equipment, consent was signed, and the right equipment is available. This reduces unnecessary amputations of the wrong patient.
During the inspection, I noticed that the pharmacy was quick on their feet. Most likely over staffed so that the meds kept on coming. Hehehe, it was a nice day indeed.
The managers are ofcourse on edge. They overstaffed all the units to make sure no patient is missing a nurse. All the disinfectant containers are full and in the case of our unit, the faucets are all working. A refrigerator even showed up in the unit. I guess the old one doesn't meet Joint Commission standards.
I went home disappointed. Wishing that I could have witnessed one of the most feared event in hospital history. Oh well, maybe in 2 years it will happen.
Every two years our hospital gets accredited by the Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation. The purpose of it is to meet the strict healthcare delivery requirements that hopefully reduces unsafe practices.
Healthcare has gone a long way since I started my nursing career 10 years ago. Latin abbreviations are no longer acceptable. OU for both eyes and QD for daily are examples. I wonder why they were even implemented. Just read your prescription and see if you can read what your doctor has prescribed for you. It's scary.
I had the opportunity to finally meet some of these Joint Commision inspectors. I used to work nights and I never did meet any of them in the past 10 years. Last Tuesday, they were all over the hospital. I just did my work and hoped they are nice with me if they pick me to inter view. With my luck, they skipped my unit. They went everywhere else but my unit. Unbelievable.
I heard there was a doctor and a nurse inspector. The doctor pretty much concentrated on the chart and the nurse was focusing on nursing safety procedures. There was emphasis on "Time Out". This is basicaly taking the time before the procedure so the doctor, nurses and other vital staff can check that they have the right patient, the right procedure, the right body part is marked if applicable, the right equipment, consent was signed, and the right equipment is available. This reduces unnecessary amputations of the wrong patient.
During the inspection, I noticed that the pharmacy was quick on their feet. Most likely over staffed so that the meds kept on coming. Hehehe, it was a nice day indeed.
The managers are ofcourse on edge. They overstaffed all the units to make sure no patient is missing a nurse. All the disinfectant containers are full and in the case of our unit, the faucets are all working. A refrigerator even showed up in the unit. I guess the old one doesn't meet Joint Commission standards.
I went home disappointed. Wishing that I could have witnessed one of the most feared event in hospital history. Oh well, maybe in 2 years it will happen.
