General Patient Safety Practices

General patient safety practices include any processes or structures that can reduce the probability of an event occurring as a result of an exposure to something in the healthcare system. A patient safety practice can address either clinical or nonclinical issues. 

Communication Orientation and training Patient assessment Availability of information 

Systematically developed to assist with decisions for specific clinical issues Affect both the process and the outcome of care Traditionally focused on ensuring a perceived standard of care Now emphasize good patient outcomes and safety 

Functions as a multi-disciplinary method way to provide care Targets the specific processes or sequences of care Integrated with local or national clinical practices 

Incorporates responsibilities of care providers with those of ancillary services 

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Zwart, D., Langelaan, M., van de Vooren, R.C., Kuyvenhoven, M.M., Kalkman, C.J., Verheij, T.J.M. and Wagner, C. 2011. Patient safety culture measurement in general practice Clinimetric properties of SCOPE. BMC Family Practice, 12(1), 117. 

In 2003 the National Quality Forum in the United States endorsed a total of 30 patient safety-related safer practices that should be implemented throughout clinical care settings to lower the risk of error and resultant harm to patients in general [20,21]. The first safer practice (i.e.. Create and sustain a health care culture of safety) was composed of the following four basic components [20,21] ... 

Today, a growing activity to improve patient safety in all domains of medicine is reality. This chapter deals with patient safety research in general, but is also about strategies to implement this evidence in the daily clinical work treating patients on dialysis. Good clinical research practice has been well established for some years. In the domain of dialysis access, further basic, clinical, epidemiological and health service research will be important to further improve patient safety as a whole. 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel... 

Sanchez-Chapado M, Guil M, Alfaro V, Badiella L, Fernandez-Hernando N. Safety and efficacy of sustained-release alfuzosin on lower urinary tract symptoms snggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia in 3,095 Spanish patients evaluated during general practice. Eur Urol 2000 37(4) 421-7. 

The safety of cyclic etidronate has been evaluated in 550 general practices in the UK in 7977 patients taking cyclic etidronate (7244 women) (35). The findings were consistent with the conclusions of several reviews of the safety and tolerability of cyclic etidronate (36,37). The most common adverse effects reported in these reviews were minor gastrointestinal events, such as diarrhea, nausea, and flatulence. Etidronate has not been associated with an increased incidence of serious gastrointestinal adverse events. 

The effectiveness and safety of two formnlations of mebeverine hydrochloride (200 mg capsules bd and 135 mg tablets tds) in 213 patients with irritable bowel syndrome have been studied in a randomized, doubleblind, general practice study lasting 8 weeks (1). The two formulations were equally effective in relieving abdominal pain. The frequencies of reported adverse events were similar in the two groups and were considered unlikely to be related to the medication. 

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