Keep Patients Safe With Your Radiology Services

Did you know that March 10th-16th is patient safety awareness week? Led by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, this week helps bring awareness to patients and healthcare professionals about safety within the healthcare environment.  

Whether you work in urgent care, primary care or occupational medicine, we understand that your main priority is keeping patients safe while providing them with quality care. We wanted to touch on two ways you can improve patient safety with your radiology services.

Emphasize Patient Safety to Staff Members

The best way to take preventative measures when it comes to patient safety is to frequently talk about it with your staff members. While it may seem redundant, creating a culture in your center that emphasizes patient safety will help minimize risk and keep patients out of harm’s way.

A 2009 study found that by simply instituting a program that had training and safety coaches for employees dramatically reduced patient injuries related to radiology. Patient safety is a group effort and weaving it into your center on a daily basis is a great way to keep it at top of mind for staff members.

Have The Right Standards in Place

Another way to be proactive in preventing patient injury is through the implementation of standards for patient care. Your center should have set guidelines that encompass consistent processes for radiology tasks, as having multiple ways of performing an assignment could lead to confusion. When it comes to patient care, having processes in place will ultimately lead to a safer environment where staff members will be able to easily detect harmful situations for patients.

Here at Teleradiology Specialists, making sure your patients are well-cared for is our main priority. Our board-certified U.S. based radiologists engage in a rigorous quality assurance program that helps ensure patients receive the best care possible.