My Back Story
My name is Peggy Archuleta, and I have been a registered nurse in the hospital setting for over 20 years. I started my bedside nursing career on a busy Medical Surgical Oncology unit. I have always loved Med Surg and Oncology, because of the wide variety of diagnoses, the fast pace, and the challenging acuity of the patients. More than anything, I loved getting to know my patients. My personal motto was "Give the patient every opportunity to heal." That meant learning about the patient as a whole human being and understanding his or her mental, emotional, and spiritual health as well as the acute or chronic physical problems.
After working at the bedside for many years, I took a position as a Senior Clinical Manager on a service that included Med Surg, Oncology and Orthopedic, and I remained in that role for several years. During that time I was able to see patient care from a different perspective, a broader and perhaps more objective point of view. I saw nurses who were dedicated to their profession and who often came up against obstacles that prevented them from giving the kind of care they longed to give. I also saw processes, habits, and some behaviors in need of improvement.
After a few years in management, I had the opportunity to fulfill one of my dreams to work as a nurse educator. Once again, I began to see patient care through another set of lens. I was able to assess the competency and learning needs of nursing caregivers, and I saw more vividly than ever how important education was to caregivers and to patients.
I am currently working as a certified diabetes educator, another of my dream jobs. Still in the hospital setting, I have the opportunity to observe the patient's journey from ER to hospital admission, to discharge. With a keen, analytical eye, I see skilled physicians and nurses and the patients who trust them. I also see opportunities for improvement.
Making Hospitals Safer
It may be disappointing to learn that hospitals are not quite the safe havens we would hope for or expect. It is certainly true that hospital teams work hard to make the hospital a safe place. There are numerous safety programs in place in every healthcare facility, and regulatory organizations inspect hospitals to ensure safe patients care. And yet, we continue to see medical errors from time to time, and even one error is one too many.
I am convinced there is an important missing piece in the quest to make hospitals and patient care as safe as humanly possible - patients must be allowed and encouraged to take a more active role. In order to be effective members of their own healthcare team, patients must be adequately educated and know what to expect in order to ensure expectations are met and exceeded.
Education is Key
I am a huge advocate of patient education. In order to help educate patients, I wrote Smart Patients, Safe Patients. The internet is an amazing resource for patients, and one can find information about almost any disease, condition, symptom, and medication imaginable. My book does not aim to educate about such things. Rather, the book attempts to help patients know what safe practices to look for and what to do when they observe practice that falls short of expected safe standards. I feel certain that educated patients can play a big part in reducing hospital errors.
What to Expect From This Blog
Safe patient care is a topic without end, because we continue to learn new and safer ways to care for patients. My intent is to share what I learn, what I observe, and any insights that I feel will help to educate both patients and caregivers. I prefer to NOT create a blog that excludes anyone on the team. I hope that you will decide to become a follower of this blog and perhaps consider sharing your own experiences and insights. Together we can make a difference and make hospitals the safe havens we all want them to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment