Parents whose children are hospitalized for any reason have enough to worry about, of course, but a new national survey shows many are just as concerned about what may happen to their children while they’re in the hospital.
Their fears primarily stem from accidents involving their child during hospitalization and inadvertent errors by the health care team.
Some might argue that we are all human, and that despite comprehensive precautions at every stage of patient care, errors will occur.
I don’t subscribe to that line of thinking. Monday marked the beginning of National Patient Safety Week, and I want to take this opportunity to share with you the remarkable strides we together are making in eliminating instances of preventable harm when it comes to caring for children in the hospital.
First, some details about the survey.
[See: How to Be a Good Patient Wingman.]
Good News and Bad News
The Zero Hero Consumer Survey was commissioned by Nationwide Children’s Hospital and conducted by Harris Poll. In all, 2,018 adults were surveyed across the United States, 542 of whom were parents of a child under 18.
The results revealed both a high level of confidence in those who care for children in the hospital setting, yet a continued concern over accidents and mistakes.
Ninety three percent of respondents agree that hospital staff, including physicians, nurses and technicians, are well-prepared to handle medical emergencies involving children. Nearly as many (91 percent) say they would trust hospitals to care for their child should the need arise.
But there are some reservations. Nearly 40 percent of those surveyed say they are somewhat to very concerned that their child might be injured in a fall during their hospital stay, or that their child will get sick due to medication errors made by medical staff members.
More than half (53 percent) say they are somewhat or very concerned about their child developing an infection in the hospital following surgery.
Their concerns are certainly justified. Hospital-acquired conditions affect patients of all ages, at times with devastating consequences. In fact, about 1 in 25 patients acquires an infection in the hospital every day, and too many are fatal.
However, after years of increasing concern, improved practices are showing significant progress in reducing risks. In fact, in a recently published paper by Dr. Joshua Schaffzin of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, postoperative surgical site infections in children were reduced by more than 20 percent among a cohort of 33 children’s hospitals by using standardized infection prevention bundles.
[See: 12 Questions to Ask Before Discharge.]
The Tide Is Turning
According to the most recent National Scorecard on Rates of Hospital-Acquired Conditions from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, such efforts saved more than 125,000 lives and $28 billion between 2010 and 2015.
Just in 2015, the scorecard estimated approximately 980,000 fewer incidents of harm occurred when compared to conditions in 2010.
More must be done, but the data show best practices are working. There are also new initiatives to help, such as the HHS Partnership for Patients that provides resources, support and guidance for patients and hospitals, alike.
Supported in part by the Partnership, more than 100 children’s hospitals — including our own — have been reducing hospital dangers. Since 2012, overall instances of harm fell 40 percent throughout that network, with infections falling nearly 50 percent, readmission rates falling 20 percent and more than 2,500 children saved from serious harm.
Now in its seventh year, our program to reduce harm is called Zero Hero. At its core is the expectation that every employee is accountable — from administrators to physicians, nurses to educators — all focused on clearly defined tasks and metrics.
We’ve developed several layers of oversight, such as steps to ensure correct medication is administered, since so many are deceptively similar, and detailed procedures to ensure instructions are checked and re-checked to avoid error.
If an incident does occur, individuals involved at every level come together into Huddle Teams to openly discuss what happened and how to prevent the incident from recurring. For that approach to work, it must be open. We require that everyone involved is included, and all must feel free to confront accidental error without fear of retribution. The results have been dramatic: From 2010 to 2012, we reduced dangerous hospital errors by more than 80 percent.
Keeping Your Child Safe
To help support parents when a child visits the hospital, we also remind them of five principles that must guide care. While designed around our own programs, these principles are universal.
1. Do Not Harm Me. How is the hospital working to prevent medication errors, infections, falls and pressure injuries? We ensure that all employees take hand hygiene seriously. Our secret shopper audited hand hygiene compliance rate has been 95 to 99 percent for the past four years. Is there a culture of putting safety first to avoid accidents?
2. Cure Me. Care should be proactive and reliable. Don’t just expect a diagnosis — expect to meet others who have been through your situation, plus a team of experts to manage your child’s condition.
3. Treat Me With Respect. A hospital should collaborate with you, with respect, dignity, unbiased information sharing and your participation in every critical decision. They should know you and your needs and create an environment where you always feel comfortable asking for help.
4. Navigate My Care. Care must be well-coordinated and efficient, especially with the most complex medical conditions. Ultimately, better coordination and open channels of communication can prevent unnecessary hospital visits and speed response time when parents have a question or concern.
5. Keep Us Well. Care does not end once a patient leaves the hospital. From diabetes to cancer, asthma to obesity, keeping a child healthy is as important as addressing an urgent emergency. Keeping your child out of the hospital is as important as providing great care while in the hospital.
[See: 14 Things You Didn’t Know About Nurses.]
While every hospital has a different approach to safety, there are many ways to hold medical providers accountable and ensure your child’s visit does not create new harm.
It is unacceptable that medicine is ever considered dangerous or that errors are considered routine — we all must reach for a higher standard, and for the sake of our children, strive to become Zero Heroes — it takes a heroic effort to achieve zero harm, and we can do it by working together toward this common goal.
More from U.S. News
12 Questions to Ask Before Discharge
How to Be a Good Patient Wingman
14 Things You Didn’t Know About Nurses
National Survey Measures Parents? Feelings About Hospital Safety originally appeared on usnews.com
