POLICY AND PROCEDURE ON UNIFORM CARE OF PATIENT

 

                              POLICY AND PROCEDURE ON UNIFORM CARE OF PATIENT

 

Policy: Policies and procedures and applicable laws and regulations guide the uniform care of all   patients.

 

Ø  Patients with the same health problems and care needs have a right to receive the same quality of care throughout the organization. In particular, services provided to similar patient populations in multiple departments or settings are guided by policies and procedures that result in their uniform delivery.

Ø  Those policies and procedures respect applicable laws and regulations that shape the care process and are best developed collaboratively. Uniform patient care is reflected in the following:

 

1.         Access to and appropriateness of care and treatment do not depend on the patient’s ability to pay or the source of payment;

2.         Access to appropriate care and treatment by qualified practitioners does not depend on the day of the week or time of day;

3.         Acuity of the patient’s condition determines the resources allocated to meet the patient’s needs;

4.         The level of care provided to patients (for example, anesthesia care) is the same throughout the organization; and

5.         Patients with the same nursing care needs receive comparable levels of nursing care throughout the organization. Uniform patient care results in the efficient use of resources and permits the evaluation of outcomes of similar care throughout the organization.

6.         Uniformity of care is to be guided by the applicable laws and regulations and is to be reflected in policies and procedures concerning care of patient accordingly.

7.         All patient assessment, care and treatment orders are signed, named, dated and timed by the concerned physician.

8.         The plan of care is to be countersigned by the treating physician within 24 hours where applicable.

9.         All patient care shall as far as possible conform to evidence based medicine, and clinical practice guidelines.

10.     Evidence based medicine is defined as the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.

11.     Clinical practice guidelines are “quality-improving strategies” systematically developed incorporating validity, usefulness and applicability in medical practice.

12.     All healthcare workers shall be trained in Basic Life Support (CPR).