Introduction
The essay will look at a specific standard, guideline, or criteria presented in the accreditation standards that have been divided into five modules with different topics. The specified standard, guidelines, or criteria are identified, presented, facts and data on the same are reviewed and examined, the information researched is criticized and analyzed and lastly, my opinion on the same five modules are presented.
Module One – Introduction to Standards and Accreditation
It is a requirement for all medical practitioners to be registered by relevant medical certification boards that will oversee their line of duties. For instance, in the United States of America, all plastic surgeons have to be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) a board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (Aaronson, 2010). This guideline ensures that only highly qualified plastic surgery surgeons are allowed to offer their services to the public.
The field of plastic surgery has been growing over the years in 2003 it increased by 32% (8.7 million performed) from 2002, despite this increase, not all surgeons and other medical practitioners are certified by ABPS. It is worth noting that when surgeons are certified by ABPS the clients are assured of secure, principled, effective plastic surgery as very high standards are maintained for the education, examination, certification, and maintenance of certification of the surgeon as specialists.
Although the guideline seeks to ensure a safe, ethical, and efficacious process, other doctors are not limited not to practicing plastic surgery, this then leaves loopholes for poor, insecure, and ineffective services to be offered. It should be put down as either a policy that those not certified by ABPS not to do such surgery.
Module Two -Hospital I – Patient-Focused Functions 180
Currently, one rapidly emerging trend is patient-focused healthcare which emphasizes patient needs and tries to humanize care to the patient. It is required among other things that patients be educated aimed at and have been thought to improve outcomes (Morrissey, 2003). It has been noted that most patients do have in most cases limited time with their health care providers hence lacking necessary information; this has been addressed by laying down standards, policies, and regulations.
For instance, classes have been set to prepare patients as they await or undergo or even have completed the entire process of medication. A typical example is where a couple who is expecting childbirth is taken through the varied stages of labor and the means with which the challenges associated with each can be addressed. Clinical options such as induced labor and or caesarian sections are also provided by the health care providers. The couple is also advised on what the expectant mother should wear, types of food to either take or not, car seat type to buy for transporting the newborn among other things.
Patient education is aimed at reducing the risk of complications, reducing the financial budget, hospital benefits as there would be no unnecessary hospitalization. Despite the fact that such education programs are vital in providing patients with relevant information, some of this information can negatively impact the well-being of the patient. Therefore, it’s important for the healthcare provider to critically gauge what type of information to disclose to patients.
Module Three – Hospital II – Organization Functions
It is important to note that any healthcare facility has a variety of functions usually allocated to varied sections or departments. These functions include quality improvement and patient safety usually through continuous improvement in quality of services offered, preventing and controlling infections, governance, leadership, and direction carried out by the administration, facility safety and management, staff qualification, recruitment, and education responsibility of the HR and finally managing information (Mroz & Berglund, 2004).
All the sections have specific codes of conduct and standards of carrying out their duties with an umbrella ethical code of conduct. These standards are in place to ensure that individuals carry out their duties in the most appropriate manner promoting reliability, efficiency, and effectiveness as it will clearly define the mandate of one set of the individual in a given sector or department hence no overlap in responsibilities, tasks, and duties, by doing so there will be no conflicts in the healthcare sector.
Although the functions of any healthcare have been clearly defined, there are situations that arise and might bring conflict among or between various departments as one will attempt to block the other from performing certain duties although the latter believes it has the mandate to do the task at hand. This can be handled by frequently analyzing the roles as well as constantly educating the workforce about their duties and harmonizing the code of ethics.
Module Four – Hospital III – Structures with Functions
Hospitals do vary in size, location, and budget, there are common structural attributes that all hospitals have in common. These include among others therapeutic environment. It is a requirement that efforts opt to be made to ensure that hospitals are unthreatening, stress-free, and as comfortable as possible. The provision of wayfinding facilities helps patients, visitors, and staff get to their intended destination with ease, vital for saving time and energy (Hakim, 2006).
All these have been achieved by using familiar and culturally relevant materials, cheerful and different texture and color, allowing ample natural light if possible and using color corrected lighting in interior spaces that closely resembles daylight and providing views of the outdoors from every patient bed (Leape & Fromson, 2006). It has been argued that when the therapeutic environment is well thought and provided, the patient does get better earlier than expected.
To criticize this guideline, sometimes most of the patients have varied test to color, light and the general outlook or layout of an interior hospital structure, what then is thought to be a therapeutic environment to one patient might in the real sense problematic, stressful, and create unsecure or an uncomfortable environment.
Module Five – ORYX and Continuous Quality Assurance (CQI)
With increased challenges facing healthcare, continuous Quality Assurance guidelines have been put in place to replace Quality Assurance. The guidelines have led to an increase in the intrinsic motivation of the workforce, reduce managerial overhead, increase in capacity of the professionally dominated organization to do process analysis, and create lateral linkages across highly specialized organizational units to increase effectiveness as well as reduce irresponsibility common in most health care places (Mills & Spencer, 2005).
ORYX is a system of analyzing the trend of improvement in the offering of health care to patients. Health care settings are required to meet their criteria and report their performance on the required outcomes. All these efforts of continuous improvement programs at healthcare institutions will enhance quality for patients and the providers and subsequently reduce the cost for all concerned. The process is expensive and most managers do not know who should be bestowed with the responsibility of CQI.
Reference
Aaronson A. (2010). Plastic Surgery –Finding a Properly Accredited Surgeon. Web.
Hakim, A, (2006). JCAHO Standards up the Ante for Leadership. Physician Executive, 32(4), 30-33.
Leape, L & Fromson, J. (2006). Problem Doctors: Is There a System-Level Solution? Annals of Internal Medicine, 144(2), 107-115.
Mills, A & Spencer, E. (2005). Values Based Decision-Making: A Tool for Achieving the Goals of Healthcare. HEC Forum, 17(1), 18-32.
Morrissey, J. (2003). Proposal For New ER Standard Puts Providers On The Defensive. Modern Healthcare. 33(20), 6.
Mroz, J & Berglund, R. (2004). Beyond Standards. Quality Progress, 37(3), 46-49.