Considered to be one of the noblest profession, the profession of Nursing is always in demand for better healthcare experts. Nurses have to take care of people daily, with some of them choosing the speciality that suits them best. Even in times of recession, nursing provides job security as well as a great many many opportunities for advancement.
Continue reading “Benefits of Training Program for Nurses”Benefits of Training Program for Nurses
Considered to be one of the noblest profession, the profession of Nursing is always in demand for better healthcare experts. Nurses have to take care of people daily, with some of them choosing the speciality that suits them best. Even in times of recession, nursing provides job security as well as a great many many opportunities for advancement.
By obtaining certification or taking part in training, nurses work to expand their knowledge base and grow in their field and evolve. These training programs also help in raising the standards of practice throughout the profession and eventually, improving patient safety. Here are some benefits that a training program can have for your career:
Continue reading “Benefits of Training Program for Nurses”Principles of Quality Improvement in Healthcare
Healthcare is a complex environment to navigate, that is why along with the growth of technology, the role and importance of human touch has also increased. And this is precisely the area where the healthcare industry is still lacking.
When it comes to addressing patient needs, ensuring patient safety and quality improvement, our healthcare system is performing still below than acceptable. The medical environment all over the country requires deliberate redesigning for the provision of cost-effective and reliable quality care to patients. Successfully initiating a quality improvement program means incorporating values that better the level of performance of a healthcare organisation. Here are the four core principles that every hospital should consider implementing for quality improvement:
Create a System
The first thing that a healthcare organisation should focus on is to understand its own key process and create a streamlined version for themselves. Rather than understanding a process as small or big, simple or complex, the important thing for quality improvement is to make sure there is a well-defined system of how a patient would enter and exit the organisation.
Patient Focus
The core concept behind quality improvement in the field of healthcare is to meet the patient’s needs and expectations. Whether the service being provided is of safety, engagement, care provision or health literacy, every communication between the health professionals should be patient-centric.
Use of Data
The most vital part of quality improvement, the data helps in monitoring and tracking changes in the system. Having a better insight into the organisation’s data can help in better outcome of patients, lower infection rates, fewer medical errors, etc.
Efficient Coordination
With so many parameters to take care of, there should be a team that keeps track of all the changes required for quality improvement. Quality managers play quite a critical role in a healthcare organisation’s mission for quality. They seek to improve the effectiveness of how treatments are provided and work to enhance patient satisfaction through the process.
The performance of a healthcare organisation relies on professional management that works with a competent team of experts. If you are looking to acquire the skills or create a quality management team in your organisation, a great option is to connect with Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations or CAHO, which is an eminent body regulating the healthcare organisations and offering various training programs such as nursing training programs, fire safety programs and healthcare quality certification courses in India. The complexities of quality improvement in healthcare organisations can be huge, but with a little effort and following the above principles, it is achievable for sure.
Infection Control Tips in a Healthcare Environment
Due to the unique challenges faced in a clinical care setting and the crowd they routinely mingle with, the staff of healthcare organizations is at an increased risk of infection. Keeping infection at bay in a hospital setting is quite difficult, but with the right training and approach, it is quite possible. Healthcare workers play a vital role in minimising the risk of infection spread, hence, they must work together to provide safe care for the patients, and a safe work environment for the colleagues. Here are some strategies that healthcare organizations can follow for control and prevention of infections:
Continue reading “Infection Control Tips in a Healthcare Environment”Effective Healthcare Communication in India
One of the pillars that contribute to effective patient care is smooth communication, whether between healthcare professionals or with patients. It has been seen time and again that not establishing a proper communication channel can hugely impair the quality of healthcare. The use of information and communication technologies to support healthcare services has created a better space for exchanging the latest medical practices and advice with the world. However, in the Indian context, there are still some gaps that need to be filled.
Continue reading “Effective Healthcare Communication in India”Strategies to Achieve Fire Safety in Healthcare Facilities
One of the significant components of healthcare facility management is to create a reliable fire safety system. To keep the patients safe from any harm, healthcare professionals work hard to ensure there is no room for error. Keeping up with the proper fire safety means understanding guidelines for hospitals and regular fire safety training for hospital staff. To cater to the various potential emergencies and avoid an incident, it is necessary to create a pre-prepared plan and share it with the staff. Here are some core strategies to ensure fire safety in the healthcare facility:
Continue reading “Strategies to Achieve Fire Safety in Healthcare Facilities”Enhancing Quality Improvement in Healthcare
Healthcare is quite a complex topic to talk about, which is why many experts in the industry feel that implementing the changes for quality improvement can be difficult to adopt. But it is still a task that needs to be done constantly to keep up with the current times and healthcare processes. By properly applying data analytics and creating a quality framework, there is a huge scope in the improvement of quality of healthcare in organisations.
Continue reading “Enhancing Quality Improvement in Healthcare”Understanding Energy Efficiency in Hospitals
As per a report of the U.S. Department of Energy, the healthcare sector is said to be one of the largest consumers of energy. The hospital owners, too, keep a check on the amount of money spent on electricity costs with a motive to improve energy efficiency and manage the costs. In addition to the direct financial savings, improving existing lighting helps in uplifting the overall hospital environment. The money saved from reduced energy is a resource that can be diverted back into the institution for investments in improving patient care or updating other areas of the campus or facilities.
Simply stating, the facilities provided in hospitals and healthcare organisations like lighting, heating or air conditioning, security systems, monitoring, elevators, cleaning and sterilization, and operating rooms consume energy 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Ways to Improve the Energy Efficiency of Hospitals:
Some basic improvements in this field can reduce energy costs, benefiting economic and environmental management. There are three groups of measures that can be implemented to achieve efficient energy management in hospitals, such as:
Simple measures, that do not require special financing or capital investment.
- Controlling the opening and closing of windows, doors between spaces having different temperatures
- Periodic revision and maintenance of the boiler and air conditioning system, including the restoration of leaks of a cooling liquid
- A pause of hot water circulation in periods at times of no usage
- Installation of low consumption light, wherever possible
- Using electronic energy-saving equipment Low-cost measures, that concern actions and can be financed by the administrator
- Replacing conventional metal doors and windows that have considerable heat bridges with others made up of sustainable materials.
- Upgrading heating insulation surfaces of boilers.
- Clean condenser pipes in water-cooled systems.
- Optimising redesign of the ventilation pipe system.
- Minimising of exterior lighting and use of timers. Reconstruction actions, that require a capital investment
- Thermal insulation of exterior walls, roof, floors, pilotis.
- Installation of a separate boiler for covering the needs during summer.
- Production of cold water in coolers of air conditioning through solar energy or biomass.
- Replacing common manual faucets with faucets controlled by a photocell.
- Heat recovery from the condensates with heat exchanger.
- Systems for improvement of the quality of the power supplied, both current and voltage.
In a nutshell, taking care of energy efficiency in healthcare organisations has become a prerequisite. CAHO, an eminent body regulating the healthcare organisations, offers various webinars and workshops on such issues. Not only this, they provide various training programmes like nursing training programmes, hospital training programmes, training sessions that confer the communication skills of healthcare professionals. Taking up training from them would be a boon for the healthcare providers.
Understanding The Role of Healthcare Organisations
Healthcare is an umbrella term comprising hospitals, medical service providers, manufacturers of medical equipment, and health insurance companies. With so many services under its vast sphere, this sector is growing swiftly because of the strong coverage, impeccable services, and high-revenue contribution by the government as well as private healthcare divisions.
What is a healthcare organisation?
The Indian healthcare system comprises of a government body known as Quality Council of India (QCI). QCI aims at establishing and operating a national accreditation structure and promoting quality through National Quality Campaign. It comprises of a number of constituent boards like National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH), National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), and Joint Commission International (JCI).
These constituent boards are formed to set benchmarks for the healthcare industry and to cater to the needs of consumers. They encompass and regulate various constituent bodies like Healthcare Organisations (HCOs).
This instigates the need for a common platform to facilitate communication among the hospitals and the constituent boards. These HCOs not only share the best practices of healthcare providers, but they also promote and continuously improve the quality and safety of the services across India while collaborating with all the stakeholders. The consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organisations (CAHO) is one such renowned HCO, which is accredited by NABH, NACL, and JCI.
CAHO believes in promoting a nationwide quality movement in healthcare that is aimed at creating awareness amongst consumers and other stakeholders. This HCO also encourages research activities and focuses on getting established as a repository of best international and national healthcare practices. Moreover, it also supports various hospitals in conducting workshops and nursing training programmes to provide a better experience to the healthcare providers.
Intending to prevent hazardous events, several healthcare organisations in India are conducting diverse hospital training programmes to train the staff to deal with emergency situations. Similarly, the Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organisations (CAHO) is one such non-profit society to continuously improve and promote healthcare activities, nationwide. They conduct numerous hospital training programmes like nursing training programmes, fire safety training programmes, infection control nurse training, etc. to ensure smooth functioning of the healthcare services.
What’s Really Like to be a Nurse?
It takes a lot to constantly monitor the health of several people with due diligence. Healthcare providers, especially the nurses, are the backbone of the healthcare system because of their exceptional proficiency and compassionate nature. While providing daily care to the patients, the nurses serve as a link between patients and physicians, in some situations of emergencies – play the role of doctors too. Hence, it is evident that their job-role involves carrying out several duties and responsibilities that require utter sincerity and precision.
Here’s a deeper insight into the roles, duties and responsibilities of the nurses in the healthcare sector.
Responsibilities
The basic duty of the nurse is to monitor patients while informing them and their families about the health conditions, providing suitable medications and giving advise in tough times. Furthermore, to elevate their skill sets they can take up nursing training programs in order to provide exceptional preventative healthcare and wellness services.
Being a nurse is not at all a plain sailing! The tasks performed by them are driven by speciality, experience and education. Nurses not only work in hospitals, but also for schools, private clinics, nursing homes, placement agencies, businesses, prisons, military bases and other employers. Typically, the nurses having an associate or bachelor’s degree can only provide hands-on care to the patients. On the other hand, the nurses who hold a degree in nursing and an enriched experience can also indulge in practices like supervising other nurses in hospitals, teaching nursing courses at institutes, or involving themselves in research studies.
Various Nursing Levels
Licensed Practical Nurses: Licensed practical nurses aka licensed vocational nurses are the entry-level nurses who work with the aim to provide basic patient care. Their duties may include giving bath to patients, monitoring them and examining bandages or recovery. A few states also permit some practical nurses to administer medications.
Registered Nurses: Registered nurses are expected to be specialised in areas like critical care, oncology, geriatrics, neurology and other key health disciplines. These nurses monitor, record and report symptoms and changes in the patients’ conditions to physicians in various medical settings. For enhancing their skills and elevating their job-position, various nurses also take up accredited nursing training programs.
Neonatal Nurses: These nurses are basically the Registered Nurses who are certified to look after prematurely born infants and babies with certain health complications. The neonatal nurses assist in deliveries, measure and weigh infants, monitor the health of new born. They also provide emotional support to anxious parents while explaining the conditions and procedures about how to care for their babies after discharge.
Nurse Practitioners: Usually Nurse Practitioners work with the physicians closely and are considered as the senior nursing professionals with the most advanced skills. They have specialisation in disciplines such as critical care, family medicine and paediatrics. A few states in India, with a shortage of primary care physicians, have allowed the Nurse Practitioners to work as physicians in certain emergency situations
The nursing profession is indeed a boon to the healthcare fraternity and society. And for the nurses too, it can be a tremendously rewarding career, if proper knowledge and skill sets are possessed. Taking up courses from accredited training organisations like Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organisations (CAHO) can help in honing the nursing skills on the entirety. This NABL and NABH recognised body aims to improve and promote healthcare activities. Apart from mentoring the nurses, CAHO conducts various training programs like fire safety training for hospital staff, nursing communication workshop, enhanced clinical communication workshop, basic course on cybersecurity in hospitals and much more.
Healthcare Organisations in India 