The Role of Clinical Governance in Patient Safety
Australia benefits from clinical governance adopted by healthcare organisations to ensure the best care quality and safety for each individual. Clinical governance's primary function is to ensure continuous improvement in all medical procedures around every individual. This organisation became a significant component of the Australian healthcare system as it provides patient safety and focuses on improving healthcare services nationwide. This article is a guide to understanding the role of clinical governance.
What is the Clinical Governance?
Clinical governance is a framework that takes care of different activities in the healthcare era. It includes risk management, clinical audit, evidence-based practice, staff education and training to help healthcare organisations function at their best. Clinical governance's main target is maintaining excellent service with a philosophy of accountability and continuous improvement. The health of the Australian people is a significant point of interest. Clinical governance helps minimise errors, improve patient outcomes and keep aiming to reach and maintain high standards of care everywhere in the country.
Patient Safety
The safety of patients is crucial for every medical procedure. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) has shaped national policies and standards to keep research and improvement in patient safety to keep the patients safe. For instance, the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) provides a clear framework for health service organisations to ensure high-quality care.
Risk Management
Risk management is a strategy for identifying, assessing and mitigating potential risks to patient safety. It is a critical aspect of clinical governance and involves rigorous reporting and analysis of events that went wrong and put patient safety in danger. Examining mistakes is a way to learn and develop preventive measures that can be implemented to avoid repetition.
Evidence Based-practice
Encouraging health providers in Australia to make clinical decisions based on evidence-based practice guarantees enhanced patient safety. Thanks to clinical guidelines and best practice recommendations designed based on evidence-based practice, patient care will be more consistent.
Clinical Audit
Clinic audits are essential to guiding clinical governance work and decisions. They are systemic reviews and evaluations of clinical practices against established standards. Maintaining high patient care and safety standards is crucial, as regular clinical audits provide information to identify improvement points and compliance with national and international guidelines.
Continuous Improvement
Every healthcare provider must be committed to regular evaluation to ensure their practices remain the best for the patient's safety. Continuous improvement is the key to maintaining high standards and quality of healthcare.
Education and Training
Clinical governance provides professional development and training programs to keep healthcare providers at their best and updated with the latest advancements in medical practice and patient safety. Simulation training, workshops, and continuing education courses significantly improve patient safety and care efficiency.
Accountability and Transparency
Being responsible and transparent in clinical governance actions and decisions is a key to committing to a high standard of care. Healthcare providers must follow clear lines of responsibility with performance reviews and solutions to handle poor performance. Accountability and transparency play a significant role in patient safety.
Patient Engagement
Clinical governance puts patient engagement at the heart of the system. They believe patient feedback is valuable and a great source of information to enhance healthcare systems. Engaging the patient in the health program allows them to make changes that align with their needs and preferences.
Summary
The role of clinical governance is mainly to provide patient safety and high-quality health care that always reaches standards.