improved patient care

Of Patients and Patient Care Units

Patient care can come in different forms. Because there are specific illnesses/diseases that need special attention, patient care units are installed to cater their medical needs. There are at least 7 major types of patient care outlets for those needing medical help. These are Primary, Specialty, Emergency, Urgent, Long-Term, Hospice and Mental Healthcare.

These patient care facilities have specific functions.

Primary Care
This is a type of facility that focuses on preventing illnesses through regular check-ups and health screening. Primary care outlets treat regular sicknesses such as a common cold or fever.

Specialty Care
Specialty care treats patients that require special skills. Specialty care can be ongoing or preventative. Cardiologists and physical therapists usually work inside specialty care units.

Emergency Care
Professionals under emergency care are usually associated with ambulance services. Emergency care provides medical help to patients with life-threatening diseases, or in need of immediate help.

Urgent Care
An urgent care differs from an emergency care outlet. Urgent care facilities treat illnesses such as cuts, sprains, infections and others that need constant care.

Long-Term Care
These are cares that treat people with disabilities, or to those who can’t perform daily activities due to a chronic illness. Long-term care is a combination of nursing and social care. They are sometimes called assisted living facilities.

Hospice Care
Providing physical, emotional and spiritual care is a primary concern of hospice care. They help ease symptoms of such diseases, not so much on curing them. Hospice care makes way for the patient’s family, too, in coping with the former’s condition.

Mental Healthcare
Mental healthcare treats patients with mental disabilities or those who are undergoing psychological problems and is being treated with medication or psychotherapy. Psychiatrists and counselors can be found inside mental healthcare units.

Patient care units may be a combination of these types, but their main function remains the same. They provide constant care and attention to those who are in need of medical help.

The 4 Virtues of a Patient-Centered Care System

Respecting the needs and preferences of a patient is the idea behind every patient-centered care system. Unlike in a normal patient-hospital relationship, patient care aims to treat their patients pro-actively. It was born out of championing health care issues, as well as in having safer medical means for the sick.

Since much of what goes on during diagnosis is still suspect even to the practitioners themselves, and that need of having a full engagement with their patients, patient care was then established.

It is basically going beyond the conventions of assisting their patients with proper diagnosis and treatment. These medical outlets are out to guide patients and provide them with a more personal treatment with their illnesses. Patient care has four inherent virtues, “whole-person” care, communication, support and sustenance and ready access. With these four virtues,a patient could be assured of a medical care for life.

Taking Care of the Person as a Whole
Oftentimes, a minor ailment could have its direct effect towards the entire body. Treating these patients from head to foot, so to speak, could lead to a more complete healing, not just treating a part of it.

Only Connect
Having a sort of bond towards a patient has its own advantages. If you can extend not just your expertise as a medical practitioner but also your time with them, you are somehow improving the quality of their lives also.

Support System
Inculcating a system of camaraderie like supporting each patient with his or her needs could go a long way as far as healing goes. This will make things easy for them while they recuperate.

Always Ready
Practitioners are always there, on the go, ready to perform their duties with care. Being available to their patients always is of utmost interest in the field of patient care.

Improving The Quality Of Patient Care

Developing the patient care program is one of the priorities of all health care providers. The quality of patient care is determined by the quality of the facilities, infrastructure and the competence of the personnel.

There are many factors that patients and families consider when choosing a hospital. One of the factors is the quality of patient care and the satisfaction experienced by patients and their families. That is why it is necessary for hospitals to follow strict quality and safety practices. Hospitals should always find ways to improve their services.

It is true that patients are the most important people in a medical care system. They deserve to be treated well. In order to satisfy the patients and their families, it is necessary to improve the quality of patient care. There are a lot of factors that can improve the quality of patient care. Hospitals should have well-trained staff to provide high quality care with desirable outcome. All the necessary equipment should be in place and properly maintained. This is important for the hospital’s performance and it contributes significantly to better results in providing best health care. It is also necessary to continually use newer technologies that improve the quality of health care.

Improvement of patient care is a continuous process because a lot of new technologies are coming out. The personnel also play a big role in giving the best services to patients. They should have proper training in order to address the concerns of the patients and families.

Patients’ safety is the corner stone of high- quality health care. That is why it is a big challenge for the hospital on how to offer good services to their patients.

Health is wealth, as the saying goes. And for those who are not in good health, the next best thing that we can ask for is to receive the best patient care from our health care providers. With the increasing demand for better care, greater awareness among the public, more health care regulation, keener competition, the rise in medical malpractice litigation, and concern about poor outcomes, we can say that improving patient care should be a priority.

To improve patient care, there are medical and non-medical factors to be considered, as well as a comprehensive system that is “patient oriented” and improves both medical and non-medical aspects must be adopted.

Before anything else, it must be recognized by all those who work in the system that the patient is the most important person in a medical care system. This single factor makes a significant difference to the patient care in any hospital. With patients being the priority, the health care provider is able to create a management system that emphasizes on cost recovery. A patient who receives high quality services and can afford it is one way to tell that patient care has improved and at the same time patient satisfaction is higher.

The non-medical factors that should be considered to improve patient care are the following: accessibility and availability of both hospital and the physician should be assured to all those who require health care, waiting times for services should be minimized, information should be made very clear, check-in and check-out procedures should be “patient-friendly”, communication with the patient and the family about possible delay should be done, and ancillary services should be available to both patient and attending families.

Some of the medical aspects to be considered for improved patient care are: well-trained personnel, present and properly maintained equipment, use of proper instruments, use of appropriate medications, and use of newer technologies.