In a nursing home setting, a safety culture should be focused on effective rehabilitation and appropriate transitions among care environments. A set of values and beliefs that is to be applied to challenges and overall organizational management reflects a home’s common understanding of safety. Sollecito and Johnson (2013) state that these features are significant to the nursing field since they allow preventing many errors and improving patient outcomes. A systems approach is one of the best options to select while considering safety culture: it integrates stakeholders, environmental factors, tasks, and systems that are closely intertwined. For example, the number of patient falls is expected to be investigated, paying attention to such vital elements as a certain period, conditions, factors, and ethical standards. To determine the level of safety culture, the mentioned data can be compared with those of other departments or nursing homes.
From a patient perspective, communication and patient-centered care strategies present an opportunity to establish appropriate relationships between them and care providers. Patients want to be aware of their diagnoses and the ways to enhance their health, which can be accomplished via ongoing feedback from nurses (Sollecito & Johnson, 2013). For instance, the purpose of procedures and their impact can be gently explained to patients. Another specific action is more frequent discussions between a nurse and patient with regard to the preferences and expectations of the latter. While some residents would like to walk two hours per day, others may be interested in engaging their families in the care process. To protect the staff, it is necessary to follow the Code of Ethics by the American Psychological Association (APA) that guides the resolution of common ethical dilemmas. More to the point, national and local nursing homes-related laws and regulations should be taught to nurses during teamwork and professional training.
Reference
Sollecito, W. A., & Johnson, J. K. (2013). McLaughlin and Kaluzny’s continuous quality improvement in health care (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett.