Daily Dose of Patient Safety #5: Preventing Readmissions [HTML]

Daily Dose of Patient Safety #5: Preventing Readmissions [HTML]

Good Morning MHS Patient Safety Champions and Happy Friday!

Preventing readmission after an inpatient stay is something that is important to both the health care provider and the patient. Communicating with each other about even the basic leading practices can help reduce readmission.

After an inpatient stay or an outpatient procedure, you may be discharged with a lot of information and paperwork. Discharge can be a hectic process. Don’t hesitate to ask questions about how you can best care for yourself or a loved one after you get home. Here are four helpful tips on how you can prevent being readmitted after your care:

--Rest. If your provider directed you to be on bedrest, do it! While being “lazy” may be hard to do when there are a lot of other things you can be doing, it’s important to relax and allow your body to heal and regain strength.

--Wash hands. Wash hands before and after changing a dressing. Wash hands after using the bathroom and before eating to avoid spreading germs.

--If you had surgery, sleep in clean pjs and sheets every night to reduce risk of infection. Don’t let pets touch or get near surgical wounds to reduce risk of infection.

--Take medications as prescribed. Ask questions if you don’t understand what time of day to take your medication, how much to take, how to store your prescriptions and what to do if you need to refill. Ask questions about other supplements you may take and confirm if they need to be taken at a different time of day or stopped temporarily to avoid interacting with your prescription.

It’s important to not assume your patient knows what to do differently as they recover from their illness or surgery. During discharge, take time to ensure the following information is discussed with your patient and they feel empowered to properly care for themselves or a loved one when they get home:

--If discharging a patient after an inpatient stay, clearly explain what activities they should postpone or stop as part of their recovery process. If bedrest is necessary, talk in detail with your patient about what this means for their unique situation.

--Thoroughly review how the patient should take their medication, when to take it and how it should be stored. Review with them what to do if they run out or accidentally spill their medication and need more.

--Have your surgical patient or someone who will be helping them at home demonstrate how to change their wound dressings.

--Review the importance of washing hands, wearing clean clothes and how to keep the surgical site clean and free of bacteria.

--Use the TeamSTEPPS^® checkback tool. Ask your patient to repeat back what they understand about their discharge and follow-up care after they get home.

--Are you a patient safety champion? Test your patient safety IQ with our last Patient Safety Quiz Challenge today at 11 a.m. EDT here. Be the first to answer the question correctly for a little prize!

--Friendly reminder to head over to Twitter today at noon EDT for a Twitter Chat with the Institute of Healthcare Improvement about building a culture of safety. Use #PSAW18 to join the conversation.

--Do you work in an MTF? Share with us how you’re celebrating Patient Safety Awareness Week at DHA.patientsafety@mail.mil.

--Like us on Facebook and stay connected with the DoD PSP all year round!

If you have questions, please e-mail us at DHA.patientsafety@mail.mil. 

Thank you,

DoD Patient Safety Program Team