The AARP has illustrated a hospital room focused on patient safety, using 16 features already in place in hospitals around the country.
These features include:
1. Double-sided linen closets, to allow staff to replenish supplies without entering patients' rooms, limiting the spread of infection and allowing rest
2. Bar codes on medications and wristbands, to avoid medication mixups
3. Two-bin supply systems, to have backup supplies available in an emergency
4. Hygiene stations near the patient's bed, to allow providers to wash their hands as close as possible to the patients' beds.
5. Door with a whiteboard, to facilitate communication between patients, providers and family members
6. Hand bars all around the bathroom to help patients move about safely
7. Bed alarms that alert nurses when a patient attempts to get out of bed
8. Disinfecting device that uses ultraviolet light to help prevent common hospital-acquired infections
9. Checklists, or sets of common guidelines for preventing or reducing infection from certain hospital procedures
10. Advanced ventilation systems to draw air from contagious patients' rooms and release it from the building
11. Smart pumps to precisely control the rates of fluids, medications, and nutrients delivered to a patient
12. Fall prevention kits, including color-coded nonslip socks, lap blanket and wristband to alert providers to a patient's need for help with mobility
13. Germ-resistant surfaces
14. Motion sensors in faucets that deliver a reminder to providers to wash their hands when they enter a room
15. Translation technology near a patient's bed
16. Real-time vital signs delivered to nurses' computers outside the patient's room
More Articles on Improving Patient Safety:
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Why Has Patient Safety Not Improved Significantly? 7 Possible Reasons
Hand Hygiene Should Be Patient Safety Priority: Q&A With Premier Safety Institute's Gina Pugliese