There’s a good reason why medical services are so expensive. When your life is hanging by a thread, you want to have the best assistance possible. That said, hiring the right person can make a difference between life and death or at least a quick recovery.
Many people neglect the role of nurse advocates in patient safety. Similar to doctors, these medical professionals possess the expertise that will help ensure positive outcomes. By consulting a nurse advocate, you can check whether the prescribed dosage and therapy are optimal for your particular case.
In this article, we’ll talk about the role of nurse advocates in patient recovery. Specifically, we’ll see how these experts prevent medical errors.
Nurse Advocates and Safety
Nurse advocates are a vital part of the healthcare system, sharing their expertise with patients. They serve as the secondary source of knowledge and are especially valuable when you’re not sure about a specific treatment or drug. Similar to doctors, they monitor your state and can detect potential issues in your therapy.
If a nurse advocate believes you’re not progressing fast enough or if there’s something else amiss, they will share their concerns with you. By doing so, they hasten intervention times and prevent damage to your body.
Like any other medical experts, these professionals adhere to the standard code of ethics of their country. Because of that, you can rest assured they will always have your interest in mind. They also abide by the relevant regulations and laws, which ensure the safe delivery of medical services.
Nurse Advocate Safety Training
The education and training can make a huge difference when it comes to quality of medical service. This is also noticeable with nurse advocate.
Unlike doctors, who commonly specialize in one area, nurse advocates have to cover a lot of different things. These professionals learn about insurance, local providers, available treatments, drugs, and anything else that you might need on your way to recovery. They serve as consultants whose primary role is to answer all your questions and point you in the right direction.
A big portion of their job is patient safety. Truth be told, people usually hire patient advocate when things go wrong, or when they need a second option. A person might be skeptical about the current treatment and want to inquire about medical safety, error prevention, effective communication, or infective control.
A nurse advocate can provide answers to all these questions. Among others, nurse advocates usually consult with a doctor in charge to learn more about your particular case. They serve as a communication medium between two sides, ensuring your rights are fully protected.
Categories of Medical Errors
Medical error can happen at any time. The biggest issue with these mistakes is that they come out of the blue, and most people are too slow to react to them. Because of that, it’s vital you implement measures that will not only address potential issues, but also prevent them.
Three main categories of medical errors are diagnostic errors, medication errors, and surgical errors.
● Diagnostic Errors
When we talk about diagnostics errors, you have to keep an eye on delayed or inaccurate diagnoses, as well as improper diagnoses. There are lots of reasons why doctors make mistakes. For example, they might misinterpret data, make poor diagnoses because they don’t know enough about your history, or it might happen due to miscommunication.
● Medication Errors
This category includes errors when dispensing, prescribing, monitoring, and administering drugs. Perhaps the most common issue is incorrect dosage. We also need to think about errors caused by ineligible writing, verification mistakes, and confusing products.
● Surgical Errors
Surgical errors are perhaps the toughest, most troublesome for patient and have immediate impact on their health. These issues are a result of person-made mistakes, faulty equipment, and incorrect procedures. Issues during verification, poor communication during the process, or lack of expertise can cause massive problems to the patient receiving assistance.
For the most part, medical errors are caused by a human factor. A handful of them also occur due to miscommunication, equipment error, or lack of data. Whatever the case might be, nurse advocates are here to help you, serving as a failsafe.
The Rose of Nurse Advocates in Preventing Errors
You would be surprised by the potential impact nurse advocates have on preventing all these errors. While they can’t do anything about manmade surgical errors, they can be a game-changer when it comes to drugs, monitoring, and communication.
● Drug Safety
Your nurse advocate can check the drugs and see if the product and dosage are suitable. They also check the ingredients to determine if you might be allergic. A nurse advocate will revise potential side effects and how a particular product might affect you.
● Improved Communication
Nurse advocates are invaluable for communication. They are in touch with doctors, insurance companies, and other stakeholders, learning more about your case and future steps. These experts will assist you if they think your treatment is ineffective due to a poor doctor’s explanation.
● Proactive Monitoring
The great thing about nurse advocates is that they provide a hands-on approach. They are constantly in touch with a person and assess their situation. In that sense, you don’t have to rely on doctor checkups to make corrective measures.
● Tech Implementation
A big part of a nurse advocate’s training is technical software knowledge. Among others, these experts can use programs to scan drug barcodes and see if the dosage and medical are correct. They use your public record to monitor your documents and create digital checklists to prevent treatment omissions.
● Family Involvement
Nurse advocates get everyone on board. They introduce family members and patients to the potential risks and benefits of making certain moves. With these experts in your corner, you’ll know what’s happening and why it is happening at every moment.
Conclusion
Nurse advocates are a real difference maker for patients who are suspicious of their therapy. They monitor your state and recommend corrective measures thus preventing the common medical errors.