Keeping patients safe: a practical guide

Continues overleaf ➤ Patient safety is the prevention of avoidable errors and the harm they cause to patients; it is the foundation of good patient care. Achieving safety in patient care is part of achieving quality patient care. When we think about patient safety, we normally think about the physical safety of the patient in terms things like prevention of cross-infection and safe site surgery and, indeed, we will consider those here. We also need to think about the non-physical aspects of patient safety – which are sometimes more difficult to deal with – so that we can achieve care that is patient centred. This means providing care that is respectful of and responsive to patient needs, beliefs and preferences; in other words, working with patients rather than doing things to them. This article will therefore also consider informed consent to treatment and some of the principles underlying working with patients in a patient-centred way.